Singinbeauty–(I love your user name; I picture a musical fairy tale when I read it.) I think I can give you a responce of why someone might say that Protestant’s worship the Bible.
First, it is nearly impossible to say what Protestant believe, because there are so many of them with such a diverse assortment of beliefs. So, there might be a group somewhere out of there who does. Fringe elements aside, let’s look at the definitions you provided–specifically entry number 4
Entry number 4: extravagant respect for or devotion to an object of esteem. I certainly do know many Protestant who have a great deal of respect for the Bible. Many are devoted to it, carrying with them physically, reading it daily and memorizing the words it contains. Occasionally stone monuments are carved with words from the Bible inscribed on them. Frequently the words from scripture decorate their homes, (similar to the way some Catholics place crucifixes and pictures of Jesus, Mary and the saints in their homes.)
No, I don’t think that Protestants bow down before their Bibles and “worship” the Bible in the way that Protestants and Catholics both reserve worship for God alone, (as worship is defined in entries 2 and 3). But I do believe that Protestants often show a great deal of respect to the scriptures. Their respect can be compared to the respect the Catholics show for the illustrations and art work depicting the events found in scripture, and the respect Catholics have for the lived example of scripture found in the lives of the saints, both of which are also frequently labled as “worship” by Protestants.
And I will add, I also know many Catholics who share that same respect for their Bibles. It is wonderful to be devoted to the scripture, for as St. Jerome tells us “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
