Does Devotion to Mary Bring a Person Closer to Christ?

Since it is September 8 which is the traditional birthday of Mary the mother of Jesus in the flesh, Roman Catholics have told me that they only pray to Mary to "get closer to Jesus" and that in their devotion to Mary, they are getting closer to Jesus.  However looking at the Rosary, the 12 noon prayer and 6:00 prayer, they are ALL devoted to Mary.  As a former Roman Catholic, I remembered kissing the picture of Mary whenever I passed an exam or was a sincere Marian devotee.  I prayed three Hail Marys before going to bed, I asked Mary to intercede for me, I prayed the Rosary, I was a keen observer of the Marian miracles to the point people asked me if I wanted to become a Roman Catholic priest.  In devotion to Mary, many attributes that are to Jesus alone are given to Mary like "Queen of Heaven", "Help of Christians", "Ark of the Covenant", "Conceived without Sin", "Queen of Nations" and the titles of the Father are given to her like "Holy Mother".  That is utter blasphemy and unfortunately Roman Catholics do a poor job convincing me that they don't worship Mary when their actions prove they do.

From the pages of a Roman Catholic book called "The Children's Bible" the commentary in itself is really trash.  I received that book when I was still a young Roman Catholic, getting ready for my Communion and I was about to be promised into the Jesuit seminary.  Several times, the books misrepresent the story like the Wedding at Cana or the people praising Jesus' mother IGNORING the rest of Scripture.  Or you may want to include Jesus' last statements for Mary and John.  Now it's time to take each and every situation in the light of Scripture.  If you are a Roman Catholic, sorry I cannot soften my message for you because I love people and I want them to know the Biblical truth not just take one verse and forget the rest but with verse by verse expository of the truth.  I am writing this for the salvation of your souls.  Marian devotees before prepare a shock in this.  Marian devotion does not bring a person any closer to Christ.  In fact, it is bringing them far away from Christ making them want to pass through Mary before they can through Jesus.  

But Jesus invited people to come to Him directly in every place of His public invitation.  In John 2:1-11, according to Roman Catholics this was the very first act of intercession that Mary did of people to Jesus.  But listen if they really consider Mary's statement, please note that Jesus then called Mary as "woman" here and NOT "mother".  Obviously this was to protect her.  Mary in this story when she said in John 2:5 saying, "Do whatever He tells you." it can be seen that Mary wanted people to understand she could not mediate between them and Jesus.  I wonder if Roman Catholics even bother to read the passage carefully noticing Mary's ONLY command of "Do whatever He tells you."  Yet they still insist that this was the first intercession.  Mary gave no other command but to tell people to do only whatever Jesus told them to do.  The heart of Christ's ministry was DOING what Christ tells us to do. Christ in the Scripture in the ministry stated no role for Mary in salvation.  He invited sinners to Himself.  The dogmas of Mary in Catholicism are fictitious, not harmonious with the Bible.  Obviously here, no devotion to Mary was ever done except her only command fulfilled, "Do whatever He tells you."  After that, Mary gave no more other command nor did she invite people to herself.  

In truth, it actually drifts people away from Christ, not bring them closer to Him whenever they have their devotion to Mary.  How in the world can a doctrine that says people must pass through Mary bring people to Christ?  Christ invited people directly to Him. When He called Matthew, He didn't have His mother with Him.  Zaccheus invited Christ ALONE to His house.  When Saul was converted He only saw the risen Lord Jesus.  Everything in the Scripture is clear go to Jesus Christ directly.  There are no "ladders to Jesus", they MUST enter the Door (John 10).  In truth when I was still a Roman Catholic, I spent much of my time having Marian devotions only to find out how far I was from Jesus and not getting any closer.  Worse, when I started hearing the messages from a Baptist school I got transferred to, I was shocked at the truth of Scripture the more I read the Bible cover to cover that people went to Jesus.  In fact, the only way to get closer to Christ is by devotion to Him and Him alone and not through anyone, people must go to Christ alone as the only Way to the Father.  Nowhere in Acts is Mary preached, no after the Day of Pentecost, Mary falls silent and only the Name of Jesus preached.  Sad to say, many Roman Catholics still insist I hate Mary because I don't agree with their unscriptural teachings.