What would Martin Luther do? Atheists' project lets you compile your own 95 theses to post to church doors

Martin Luther did it 500 years ago, and now two atheist friends are encouraging you to compile your own grievances and post them to church doors. 

Patrick Horst, executive director of the Nashville Nones Convention, and Chris Roberts, a former Southern Baptist pastor who lives in Antioch, launched their 95 Tweets project just ahead of the 500th anniversary of Luther's 95 theses and the Protestant Reformation.

"There is really no event really in the history of religion that is as tailor-made to celebrate honest dissent or feedback or skepticism or just engagement with religion as Reformation Day," Horst said. 

What happened 500 years ago?

Reformation Day is Tuesday and it marks the anniversary of the Luther's written critique of the Catholic church, including its selling of indulgences. As the story goes, Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany on Oct. 31, 1517. 

The German monk's theses helped spark the Protestant Reformation, a pivotal moment in Christianity's history.

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Horst sees the 95 Tweets campaign as a way to share modern concerns about all religions just as Luther did for Catholicism half a millennia ago. He hopes the personalized manifestos created through the project helps those impacted by religion share their experiences and provide feedback.

"We want to make this something that anybody can get involved with," Horst said. "Luther's, of course, was directed toward the Catholic church, but everybody I think on a lot of levels has an experience with religion that is something they would like to reform."

How does it work?

The social media-focused 95-Tweets project lets you curate your own list of complaints against any religion via the project's website, 95tweets.com. You can craft your own grievances or crowd source them, by selecting from those shared by others.

"Something like this makes it collaborative and fun," Horst said. "You get to crowd source your message back to religion." 

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Twitter posts tagged with #95tweets filter onto the website for anyone to chose. Horst has shared several in the months leading up to the Reformation anniversary, which is just the beginning of the life of the project. 

The project's 'Nailed It Challenge'

Once your lengthy list is complete, you can chose to take the project's "Nailed It Challenge" by printing it out and posting it at a place of worship. It's a nod toward the image of Luther that emerged from the Reformation of the monk nailing his theses to the church door.  

Horst, who lives in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, intends to post his list Tuesday at a church in his hometown and possibly at one in Nashville. He serves on the board of Sunday Assembly Nashville, a secular congregation in the city. 

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But in addition to posting it, Horst hopes the personalized theses can spur conversation with clergy. 

"This can be a tool for communication," Horst said. "Religion has a lot of impact in peoples lives so I hope it can be a vehicle for people to be able to express that and provide that feedback and I think any place of worship that is smart would be receptive to that."

Reach Holly Meyer at hmeyer@tennessean.com and 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.