Shirk: Third Principle
There is no difference between one who worships stones, pious people, sun and moon, angels, etc. They are in the same boat of shirk
Shirk: Second Principle
Rationalizing shrik as a means of get closer to Allah is still shrik
Shirk: First Principle
To believe in Allah as your Lord is not sufficient if you pray to someone else
Benefits of Tawheed
La ilaha illa Allah... a few words that may occasionally slip off our tongues, but these few words have the ability to move mountains, raise the best of nations, and its absense will lead to an end of this world.