THE Bishop of Kerry, Dr William Murphy, has warned that "elements borrowed from the New Age movement or extreme feminism could threaten the integrity and distinctiveness of Christianity".
Dr Murphy, who was addressing the Religious Press Association in Dublin, gave the example of the reluctance of some people to use the expressions "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" in order to avoid sexist language. He warned that such usages were "embedded in Scripture and you can't take them out".
He said issues such as women's ordination and celibacy were "by products of Western society. Western society today has produced a cultural climate that is undoubtedly the most difficult and challenging the Christian Church has ever faced. The church may not survive, at least as a major force in the Western world, which would, I believe, be a disaster for the Western world."
Bishop Murphy said he believed the church would survive on two conditions. Firstly, it must "preserve its credo in order to maintain and affirm its own identity against other world views".
Secondly, "the church must learn from democracy, just as in the past it borrowed from societies with imperial, royal or feudal systems. There must be three parties, not two. God is one of the parties. The other two [the church and the people] are not engaged in democratic dialogue with a view to finding common ground or an honourable compromise. They are rather engaged in a prayerful exploration of God's revelation with a view to understanding it better and living it more fully".
Bishop Murphy said one positive sign was the "growing consciousness among Catholics that they are the church", with more Catholics taking an active role in church life than ever before.