Door Posting

In previous Mormon Reformation events some participants have been content to simply cross post the 95 LDS Theses on their blog sites, across social media, and on Internet discussion boards.  Other have felt a need and desire to more closely identify with Martin Luther by physically posting a paper copy of the theses on the door of a local LDS Church building (Ward Building, Stake Building, etc.)  To date there have been no issues, or problems from doing this and those that have have reported a general sense of satisfaction and, indeed, a closer identification with that great 16th Century Reformer than just virtual cyber posting seems to provide.

The 95 LDS Theses (English door posting edition)
Las 95 Tesis SUD (Spanish door posting edition)

First and foremost, please check your local trespassing laws before you decide to do a physical posting.  In some municipalities, what follows may get you in legal trouble, in others it’s no big deal at all.

Given all that here are some guidelines from the lessons learned from past door posting events: 

1. Always remember this event is designed to be a peaceful, non-confrontational, and anonymous way to express our concerns about the contemporary LDS Church.   That said, please make every effort to avoid any type of contact that may result in any type of misunderstanding or conflict.   The ideal scenario is to post at a time when the building is empty and devoid of any activity.
2. Every LDS Church building has it’s own ebb and flow. Therefore, know your building – scout it out for a few days before the posting event so you can determine the best time for you to post given your schedule and theirs.
3. While you’re scouting think about the “little things” like where best to park your car (maybe in the parking lot, maybe not), whether you’ll need a flashlight (how’s the lighting around the building?), count how many doors there are (for example there are 6 [six] at my local Ward Hall) and if you want to post on all of them or just a few, check the water stains on the walls and sidewalks to determine if the sprinklers are going to ruin your good work by hitting the posted paper, etc, etc, etc.
4. Since October 31st coincides with Halloween in the United States some buildings or the sidewalks surrounding the building may be abuzz with trick-or-treaters, or parties shortly before and after dusk up to late evening.   Please take that into consideration – the actual day of the event might be different than the other days due to that.
5. Please take care to post in a non-destructive, non-permanent manner.  In other words, post with tape not nails or adhesives. The paper should go on easily and come off easily – the power of this act is in the doing not the staying.
6. As fulfilling as this act can be it’s still a little tense – it’s normal to be a bit nervous or anxious during the actual posting. That said, being prepared – even maybe a bit over prepared – will go a long way in taking that “edge” off. Here are some tips:
   1. After you print out the 95 Theses at home collate the copies (assuming you’re going to post on more than one door) and then tape the pages short-side edge, top-to-bottom, in a couple of long “scrolls” so you have several big, long individual set of theses to tape up rather than a bunch of sets of loose pages. Here’s an example from the February 2013 door posting campaign:
      

      Example of a posted 95 LDS Theses “scroll” from the February 2013 campaign. This set of theses was only 5-pages long, the current set is over twice as long.

      NOTE: The typical door is about 80″ high (205cm) so, to fit, no single scroll can be more than 7-pages long or it won’t fit. That being the case (and since the current English version is 12-pages long and the Spanish version is 13-pages long) you’ll need to split each set of the 95 LDS Theses into at least two scrolls so they’ll fit (taped side-by-side) on the door. If you have any questions, please post them on either the Mormon Reformation Day Facebook event or discussion page. 

   2. Roll the scroll(s) from the prior step up and secure them with paper clips or rubber bands.
   3. Put the finished rolled scrolls from the prior step in a bag along with your tape and flashlight (if you’re using one) so you have everything you need in one place when you arrive.
   4. Be sure to take a primary tape roll and a backup – just in case the primary fails or runs short while you’re posting.
   5. For that matter, make sure you print out more copies of the scrolled, finished 95 Theses than you need – just in case – and take them with you.
   6. Now when you post you should only need to tape on the top corners, bottom corners, and maybe in the middle of each one of your long (and, trust me, they will be long) theses scrolls. This will make the posting quick and easy.
7. When you’re done posting take a picture or two of your good work.   This not only records the event but will inspire others when you upload your pictures to the Mormon Reformation Day Facebook page so we can all benefit from, enjoy, and be inspired by your good work!
8. Occasionally, though rarely, on past events the these posters have run into Mormons unexpectedly entering or exiting the building while they were posting.  I’m happy to report that on every such occasion the exchange has been friendly and amiable (and why not, Mormons are some of the greatest people in the world).  So if this happens, just relax, be your friendly, charming self, and enjoy the chat.  Oh, and make sure you give them one of your spare copies of the 95 LDS Theses so they can benefit directly from your good work.
9. If for some strange reason such a surprise encounter “goes sideways” just try to excuse yourself and vacate the premises as quickly as possible.  It’s better to skip the physical door posting entirely than create a scene.

Still got questions?  Did we miss anything?  No problem, just post your questions to the Mormon Reformation Day Facebook Event or Discussion page and we’ll do our best to answer them from what we’ve seen and encountered in past physical door posting events.