>But i hope we can agree that bakashos . . . are tefilos which are only for Hashem or for tzadikim to bring to Hashem.”
I definitely agree.
>many in your community believe that the lubavitcher rebbe is capable of fulfilling an individual’s bakashos.
I don’t know any Lubavitchers who believe that. No one says that the Rebbe has his own kochos so we don’t need Hashem’s koach (chas v’shalom chas v’shalom. I have never heard such a thing in my life, aside from non Lubavitchers telling me that this is chas v’shalom the opinion of Lubavitchers היל”ת עפ”ל).
Everyone I know believes that we go to a tzaddik (in this case the Rebbe) to channel HASHEM’s brochos, because a tzaddik has a more direct line (as is explained in many places. There is also an interesting Chasam Sofer that explains the difference in this regard between a tzaddik and a malach (whom it is problematic to ask brochos from).
Anyone who learns chassidus will tell you that the very meaning of beracha is hamshacha (המבריך את הגפן). We go to a tzaddik to draw down the Hashem’s brochos which already exist limaala.
When a Lubavitcher says “I did this with the Rebbe’s kochos” and people jump and him and scream “avoda zorah” – I think it comes from ignorance and suspicion of Yidden who are different.
It is the same as someone saying “I made a great deal for 10,000 dollars yesterday” – no one says that the businessman doesn’t believe in Hashem ch”v, rather they understand that he means that he made a KELI for Hashem’s brochos of $10,000.
If your mindset is set that a group of people have a certain wrong belief, it can be very easy to misinterpret everything they say to fit your conception of them.