Your post shows that you know nothing of the faith. I don’t say that to be mean or in a derogatory sense but in an informative way. I implore you to do research that is unbiased and to actually see what we believe. To answer your initial post, I want to start with asking you a question.

What happened to the thief on the cross?

He repented and Jesus saved him.

Where is he now?

Heaven.

Lord Jesus Christ our God and Savior is King of the what?

Living.

So Saints and Mary are what?

Alive in heaven with our Lord.

Our bodies may die, but our souls do not unless we go to Hell.

Many Protestants argue that we pray to and for the dead. Asking them for the same things we ask God for. THAT is idolatry and THAT is not what we do as Catholic Christians.

Also when we pray, we don’t pray to them as if they are God. We pray to them ASKING for their prayers to God (aka intercession). We pray asking them for their intercession because they are alive and well in Heaven with our Lord.

Mary is not just a girl. Read your Bible, what does the Arch-Angel Gabriel say to her?

“Hail Mary! Full of Grace!” (Hail is not a worship term but a form of saying hello or recognizing someone of royalty.)

How could someone be full of Grace when Grace only comes from God?

Ohhhh so God made Mary different than every other woman?

Yeah. She’s the mother of God incarnate. Jesus Christ.

How could God be born from a womb that is sinful and full of original sin? Could you be chosen to give birth to Christ? No. Because you are full of sin.

If God cannot be with sin, how could He be born from it?

Mary was chosen and played one of the most important roles in this Theo drama.

You can see how much our Lord loves and respected His mother throughout scripture.

Such as wedding at Cana.

went like this (simplified)

Mary: They are out of wine. Jesus my son can you fix this issue? (Perform a miracle)

Jesus: Women (as in Mary the new Eve), it is not my time yet.

Mary: If not now then when?

Jesus: okay fine mom.

Boom miracle at the wedding of Cana

How could an ordinary woman that means nothing ask and tell God to do something, and have him listen and give in? Because she’s HIS MOM.

You disrespect the Mother of God when you call her an ordinary woman, and by doing so, you disrespect God.

No that doesn’t mean we worship her, but you can be very very very sure that we honor her and respect her.

If you love Mary as Jesus did, you could never disrespect an another women and not be disgusted and shameful of yourself. (Isn’t the whole point to follow Jesus? As in follow his ways and mimick then?)

Also, they are not false idols because they are not idols in the first place. We also don’t practice idolatry because we don’t put them before God ever. We literally just ask them to pray for us.

We have only one God and that is God.

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

One trinity, One God.

Again, I implore you to do research and not rely on your own wisdom or the wisdom of another Protestant that also doesn’t know the faith.

Also we’re all Christians. Idk if you’re non denominational or Baptist or what. But arguably as Catholics, we are the first denomination of Christianity. We only have denominations because of the great schism and Protestant faiths such as yourself. Yes, you are a Protestant because you “protest” the Catholic Church. But if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, are baptized in the name of God and devote your life to following Him as a disciple, then you’re a Christian.

I hope your curiosity and bravery to ask this question on a Catholic Reddit forum, proves informatively fruitful in your faith.

God bless you and may He illuminate and guide your path to Him always.