I largely agree....
Even in American Lutheranism, there is often an abandonment of Our Lady (not in my parish!).... my pastor explains this as a sad result of American anti-Catholicism, deeply rooted in American culture until fairly recently. Anything that smacked of Catholicism was abandoned in the hope of not offending Protestant America and lowering any "barriers" to them entering Lutheranism (the abandonment of crucifixes and "kneelers" and the Sign of the Cross and weekly Communion were other 'victims' of this). To their credit, Episcopalians/Anglicans didn't do this, but Lutherans in the USA very sadly often did. As this deep American "anti-Catholicism" faded after World War Two, Lutherans have taken up these customs once again (slowly and unevenly).
I agree that among SOME Catholics, Mary has been a problem.... and I don't hold that several of the recent RCC Marian Dogmas should be such (I don't oppose them as pious opinions, only as de fide dogma)... But it IS possible to do as Scripture says we should ("call her blessed") and hold her in esteem as the mother of Our Lord and a person of great faith - without affirming the new Marian De Fide Dogmas of the singular, individual RC Denomination and that practices/attitude of a FEW modern Catholics (whom some CATHOLICS feel are "spooky" as one of my Catholic teachers put it).
And I think it SILLY to feel that if it's Catholic, ergo it's BAD and to be avoided. We'd have to deny the Trinity, the Two Natures of Christ, public worship, Sunday worship, hymns, reading Scripture in worship, having clergy, having choirs, the New Testament, etc., etc., etc. under that silly rubric. Just because Catholics believe or do something doesn't THEREFORE make it wrong or bad.... I'm glad America has finally gotten past that silly attitude. And I think often, Protestants benefit from this! My Lutheran parish is about half ex-Catholics, I wonder how many of these would be a part of our church if we didn't have the Sacrament weekly, didn't have the liturgy, didn't embrace the Liturgical year and practices, ignored Mary, etc.? No way to know, of course.
Merry Christmas!
- Josiah