Theophilus,
I was raised in a home where my mother was an ex-Roman Catholic Protestant (non-denomination) and my father was a Baptist. I have always loved Christianity and had been a believer in Christ since I could remember; but I was never convinced about the authenticity of Protestant Churches. To make a long story short, I became an Orthodox Christian about three years ago after more than 29 years of research and reflection.
There are many books out there that can help you understand your "Mary" issues as well as the issue of infant baptism. I found that my own discomfort with those things in the past were driven by a lack of understanding of the "why" those things are done. I learned that the Protestant Churches largely misrepresent the reasons why the names of Saints are invoked in certain prayers.
The book, "The Orthodox Church" by Kalistos (Timothy) Ware is a good place to find most of the answers to many isses that are misunderstood by non-Orthodox or non-Catholic Christians. Another book, I believe it is titled, "The Rich Heritage of Orthodoxy," explains with great clarity the journey of a Protestant pastor's journey to Orthodoxy. It is a small, laconic book that is written with a converts mindset, thus it was a very easy read for me!
Also, there is a great Orthodox website that has explanations for all things Orthodox (Including a passage specifically written to help Baptists understand Otrthodoxy). The site is:
www.fatheralexander.org
Best wishes and God bless,
R. Ephraim
