For instance, I wear a scapular, the scapular has a promise “whosoever dies wearing this scapular shall not suffer eternal fire”. I certainly hope in that promise and would do well to do my part to make up the other side of the promise, but I don’t base my entire faith off it, nor do I think that God would send me to hell (or that God sends anyone to hell who doesn’t show through their faith and works that that is their desired eternal residence) for dying without wearing my scapular.

I think I’ll try and crowdsource and answer to whether or not the medieval Catholic Church said that people who did not get indulgences were going to Hell.

I enjoyed the letter I quoted there from Luther. When I had just read an excerpt I thought it was something that was misquoted, but when I read the whole thing I was astonished by his… humanity.

The more I learn about Catholic doctrine, the more I respect it. Indulgences aside, my view on salvation is actually very close to what you described here.

As a side note, most things I read by (or about) Luther make me chuckle. He was definitely ‘human’… :p

Luther was German, so we must forgive his foibles, just as we forgive Polish Popes and cheeseheads theirs. The one person we ought not be embarrassed to be associated with is, as you say, our Lord Jesus.