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No one is their own Pope in any Christian environment. However, all are solely responsible for their own salvation.

I beg to differ. You all seem to think that you read the Bible infallibly, but I don't see that you do. If you did, there wouldn't be so many sects of non-Catholics all disagreeing with what the Bible says.

With the Pope being as infallible as the rest of us simply because he is human, then we are as damned to Hell if we follow Him as if we follow Satan.

Oh please! Come on now, get serious. How many of you follow what your preachers say and do? Going to hell over that are you? Are you following Satan when you sit in the pews on Sunday morning nodding your head in agreement with your pastor? Man, what an analogy!

We are not to follow ANY MAN BUT CHRIST in His example. That said, wise men and women can help us along on our way.

Well, you just contradicted yourself there didn't you? If wise men and women can help you along the way, but you aren't to follow anyone but Christ, you better not listen to them either.

Disagree with the Papacy all you want. At least it has kept the Catholic Church going for 2,000+ years now while the non-Catholic churches continue to splinter and fall apart theologically.

Roman Catholicism is structurally united under the Pope and the bishops who recognize the authority of the Papacy. However, it is far from theologically unified. Checking intra-Catholic fights here on FR and elsewhere provides more than ample evidence of that disunity. Issues such as the validity of the Tridentine Mass vs. the so-called Novus Ordo Mass, the doctrine of "outside the church there is no salvation," the degree to which church leaders should be involved in political matters, especially when those leaders hold leftist positions, the use of Latin vs. vernacular languages, the continued celibacy of the priesthood, the role of women and lay persons in liturgical worship, and the dispensation of Communion to persons who are not Roman Catholics are but a few of the issues that divide people who recognize the Pope as the visible head of the church.

OTOH, the absence of structural unity among Protestants does not necessarily imply significant theological differences. For example, the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, both conservative Reformed denominations, are in agreement as to a strict adherence to the Westminster Standards. Smaller conservative Reformed denominations, such as the United Reformed Church are in substantial doctrinal agreement with the conservative Presbyterian bodies, even if their doctrinal statements draw from Continental, rather than British, confessions of faith. Reformed and Calvinistic Baptists may disagree with their Presbyterian brethren on the administration of baptism and church governance, but would agree on issues of Biblical interpretation in most other areas. The theological differences between the Calvinistic Baptist Albert Mohler and the conservative Presbyterian R.C. Sproul are smaller than those between the the leaders of the Society of St. Pius X and the Pope Benedict XVI, both of whom are considered part of Roman Catholicism's conservative wing.

Roman Catholicism does have structural unity, but in terms of theological disputation, it is as fractured as are the churches that are in the tradition of the Reformation.

I think you are misunderstanding the meaning of the word "follow".

We are to follow the advice of those more wise than us only to the extent their words are compatible with Scripture. We cannot follow them nor their examples, as these are both highly fallible.

I do not follow what my minister says or does beyond what is consistent with the Bible, as that is what I am to be judged by on Judgment Day.

I agree that many have differing views of what the Bible says. Of course I believe my views are correct, otherwise I would not be following them nor espousing them! However, I also realize there are many things I have yet to learn. Additionally, there are many things we can agree to disagree on in "good faith".

For instance, I can believe capital punishment is valid, as there appears to be Scripture supporting such. But others can point to Scripture saying we are to forgive our enemies and take that as meaning no punishments should be handed out that might include death. I disagree with them, but I can see where they could have such understanding. I don't see this difference being one that compromises one's Salvation, so one can agree to disagree. Others, such as ordination of openly gay leaders in the Church, is effectively prohibited as an "abomination" before God.

The Catholic church has had its own splintering, including Luther's breakaway, the Anglican church, the Orthodox church, etc. To top it off, Pope over the years have issued conflicting and sometimes perverse edicts.

People are fallible, but the true Truth is not. For whoever speaks that, the rest should listen and get encouragement in their own walk.