To the moderator: While it may be true that in the strictest sense of the word Catholics are not supposed to worship Mary (at least on equal terms with the male dieties), it's hardly on par with saying Jews desecrate the host! The last pope, John Paul, was a HUGE promoter of Mary veneration, if not actual worship. And growing up in the northeast in certain areas, I know that (particularly of Italian or Polish descent, but not exclusively,) it was rare for a neighborhood not to have at least one Mary shrine in the front yard -- I don't think it was just for the decorative value.

I speak, of course, as a happy rational humanist (brought up Catholic) so the whole argument is as silly as whether the Easter Bunny could beat up Santa Claus -- but I just thought your statement was a little over the top to let pass unremarked.

As far as these superstition-ridden, brain-dead Kansas cult goes...they are a terrifying example of why religion is a very dangerous thing.