We’ve been going for two years
Also, you may hit an Episcopalian
This edition opens a bit self-indulgently, but don’t worry there are memes underneath! Modern Relics is two years old, and also this is going to be my last post for a bit, as I’ll explain. (Wedding reasons; I am having a wedding.)
Also, this edition is pretty much 100% Christian content, which is not really my intention for this newsletter! If you find a good post about and/or by other religious groups — particulalry ones you don’t hear about that often, I really want to see it.
The 24-month roundup
As of tomorrow, I started this newsletter exactly two years ago. Normally writing about writing the newsletter isn’t the move, but I do it once a year to kind of reset my approach and remind myself what I’ve achieved in the last 12 months.
Here’s the figures: On 26 May 2022, Modern Relics had 172 free subscribers. Since then it has grown to 361, about doubling in size. This was mostly due to Substack’s internal recommendation systems coming online about a year ago. Despite some churn, open rates are still relatively high, consistently achieving 50% per edition, give or take.
It’s still a small audience given the age of this newsletter. Many Substacks I read have achieved a much greater audience in a far shorter time. Still, I’m very proud that I have built something that feels genuinely distinctive. Religion content online is big business, but it’s either coming from particular traditions speaking to their own faithful, or it’s designed to criticise (or ridicule) particular expressions of faith.
I’m trying to strike at something different here, where I emphasise the surprising and amusing aspects of religion without veering into “look at this weird idiot” territory. Maybe all people really want is the secrets of the universe and weird idiots, but developing this different approach has been gratifying, and the material I make here often turns into successful shows at work too.
Thank you for reading. Support and encouragement both in person and in the comments really helps keep this newsletter going. Any feedback or advice would also be warmly received. I still do not have plans to go paid just yet, so if you want to help in other ways, sharing Modern Relics with your friends is a good way to go. Also, if you run another blog or podcast, I am a good guest! Having me on is a great way to introduce Modern Relics to new people.
If you’re interested, here’s my “We’ve been going for a year” post.
Guy Sebastian met Narendra Modi
Couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw this tweet of former Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Before becoming a reality TV star, Sebastian was a worship leader with Planetshakers, a Pentecostal conference run by Paradise Community Church in Adelaide. Modi, who is visiting Australia right now, is a member of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
The meeting occurred at a rally where Modi received a “rock star welcome” in Sydney’s Olympic Park. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was also there.
It’s ok I have a permit
Some things to read
The real priest behind ‘The Pope’s Exorcist’ was a fan of Hollywood horror films
Interesting details here from Joseph Laycock (who I have interviewed!) about the modern history of exorcism in the Catholic Church and how its renewed popularity is tied to horror films as a genre.
Unsurprisingly, Amorth named “The Exorcist” as his favorite film, commenting, “Of course, the special effects are exaggerated. But it is a good film, and substantially exact, based on a respectable novel which mirrored a true story." Amorth became an exorcist a decade after the film, and his career evolved alongside horror films.
Dodgers remove ‘queer and trans nuns’ from Pride Night amid Catholic pushback
The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence cause controversy wherever they go (for good reasons, I reckon). This time the LA Dodgers disinvited them from the team’s upcoming Pride Night celebration after pushback from Catholic groups.
Sister Roma, one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence’s most visible members, said those who are criticizing the organization as “blasphemous” and “sacrilegious” don’t understand their mission and “don’t really take the time to get to know who we are.”
“We feed the hungry, we work with people who are unhoused, we support LGBTQ and trans youth, we support queer art,” Roma told Religion News Service.
Remembering Fabian LoSchiavo: Australian nun, social activist, religious leader
Meanwhile the “Mother Inferior” of the first Australian chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence recently died. This obituary on ABC Religion and Ethics argues he was a religious leader as significant as any other.
Through his strategy as the Sydney Sisters’ abbess, Fabian integrated the dearest parts of his piety and his sexuality. As a religious leader, he enabled other gay people to realise their own dreams — dreams the wider world had often proclaimed as unrealisable as his own.
It’s Pentecost soon
I wonder if he has read The Shack
Can I please have this pride merch please
Obsessed with the “pride merch” college chaplain Ethan Lowery “designed” “for” his (LGBT+ affirming I want to be clear!) campus ministry.
Someone make the “leviticus 18:22 cant hurt me because i can ‘t read” shirt real.
Twitter community notes are the definition of Chaotic Neutral
I’d also like to point out that old mate is called “Tiff Shuttlesworth”.
My fiance — who I am marrying — sent me this
Children obey
@everythingisterrible666I WANT TO OBEY! #EVERYTHINGISTERRIBLE #EIT #EITKIDZKLUB #WTF #VHS
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To be fair, I don’t actually know if this was taken from a Christian video, but like… come on…
Biblically accuCAT angels
Sorry but this was a really long post on the screen and Tumblr doesn’t embed. If you want to see the whole thing without gaps have a look on ultrainfinitepit’s page.
Tumblr user Ultra Infinite Pit draws a lot of “biblically accurate angels” and even makes them into pins. I was tickled by these cat angels, and to celebrate the Pride Month in June, check out her series of Pride Angels from last year.
“He is in a season of confusion right now”
Now that I have to screenshot Twitter videos I’m never sure if everyone clocks that they need to click through. Anyway this is a video — you can click through.
Another data thing
Recently Substack started allowing users to figure out where their subscribers live. Not surprisingly, just over half of you are from Australia, but the next biggest (United States) makes up a way smaller percentage of my audience than I anticipated.
Modern Relics has a lot of Australian stuff in it, but I feel like it’s got heaps of American stuff too?? This feels like a newsletter Americans can get behind. Share the newsletter with an American in your life today.
Farewell, for a few weeks
This is my last fresh edition for a while, (not sure if I’ve mentioned it, but I’m getting married, did you know?) I’ve got some really great stuff lined up ready to go in my absence. I might also do one or two mini editions while I’m holidaying if anything really grabs me, or if I want to post a picture and brag about what I’m up to. Hope that’s ok too.
Okay behave yourselves! Or don’t, but make sure it’s funny! Bye for now!