Veneration of & Praying to Dead Saints

I had a Catholic best friend years ago; we debated various issues & the only one I remember is veneration of the saints. The way he explained it, I could not disapprove. In fact, it even made me aware of how Protestants too often blindly idolize current & past figures in our own denominations & then criticize Catholics for praying to the saints. We have sequoias in our eyes. However, while I think veneration of & praying to the saints may be orthodox, I believe if not watched carefully it can & has developed into idolatry. It seems to me that the vast majority of Catholics idolize dead saints. It seems to me that the vast majority of Protestants idolize living & dead saints (myself included). We all must depend on others in the faith for guidance, but must be careful not to let that dependance become unwitting worship. C.S. Lewis in The Four Loves altered another's quote to say "love ceases to be a demon only when he ceases to be a god." I think this is the key to human love & mentorship: the moon properly positioned reflects the sunlight at night, but improperly positioned blocks the sun (eclipse). If we see our elder (spiritually speaking) saints in perspective, they guide us closer to God, but if we make too much of their guidance they will eventually guide us farther away.