Eeeeeeh... You catholics have a really long history of authoritative abuse, so... Color me skeptical.
Discussion
You're right, human authority is liable to abuse. However, we are called to be obedient to God, either so that He may direct us towards some mission, or so that we may learn humility and grow in virtue. Legitimate authority is not invalidated by abuse of a position of power.
That said, the situation is complex here in the West, because our social order is built on principles of self-government. It takes a lot of prudence to know when to submit in humble obedience to legitimate authority and when to stand up to correct an injustice.
No one is going to get into Heaven by "my way or the high way," though, so we do have to learn obedience and humility in order to attain greater union with God.
Believe me, I wrestle with this all the time, especially within the Church. Lots of our bishops and pastors kinda suck, but we still owe them some degree of obedience.
Live in the tension.
I disagree. You do not owe them anything if they are not Christ-like.
This is, I think, one of the big differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. Catholics affirm that God primarily works through secondary causes, and thus His authority is normally mediated through human institutions. Thus, we always owe *something* to those institutions, even when the people in them are corrupt (as they usually are). Protestantism, as far as I can tell, removes most of that mediation for a direct "me and God" approach to authority. This lends itself naturally to the classical liberal order that America was founded on.
And why your pope is a satanic socialist.
Luther was right, and I want no part of catholicism, especially not contrived authority.
Even if the Pope is indeed a satanic socialist, that doesn't make him any less the vicar of Christ on earth. The person and the office are not the same thing, and Christ can work through the most degenerate people.
Yes, He can even work through this idiot.
But, the pope is a fictional position. I have and hopefully will submit to a pastor of a local church, as a sheep submits to a Shephard. There is no need for anything more than that.
Well, yeah.
"No king but Christ."