Occam’s Razor says go by the simplest explanation.
For those who insist modern Lubavitch ISN’T Avoda zara:
If chas veshalom it WAS, what would it be doing differently from today?
We already established that people daven to the Rebbe, based on the atzmus sicha.
While many don’t, the Rebbe said it’s ok so it’s just a question of personal preference.
We already established that people say “Der Rebbe vet helfn” instead of “Der Eibishter vet helfn”. So whether or not they daven. they still speak of the Rebbe as all-powerful.
They post pictures of the Rebbe everywhere.
They say he’s alive.
They say he couldn’t make a mistake.
They say everything he touched has “Elokus”
We have a slew of justifications and twisted and distorted gemaras to defend every one of these distortions of the mesorah, but none of these were part of klal yisroel until the Rebbe died.
Rav Shach zt”l couldn’t be fooled, though I was. I thought his use of avoda zara was extreme. I depserately wanted him to be wrong.
Daas chachomim hepech midaas baalabattim. He was right, I was wrong. I wish it wasn’t so.