Musings on Sue Monk Kidd, part three
In my last post, I wrote a bit about Sue Monk Kidd and her memoir, Dance of the Dissident Daughter. It’s a stunning chronicle of Kidd’s spiritual journey from Christianity to goddess spirituality. She’s very transparent about her emotional and spiritual struggles, and honest about where she finally ends up….here it is, from the end of her memoir:
“It is all right for women to follow the wisdom in
their souls, to name their truth, to embrace the Sacred Feminine, that there is
undreamed voice, strength, and power in
us. And that is what I have come to
tell you. I have come over the wise distances to tell you: She is in us.”
The beauty and force of Kidd’s writing is stunning. Her
words reach up off the page and glow from within.
Women, like bees, are drawn to the message: You are precious. You can make
your life better. You can find love. The power will come from a being who is
female and who understands these things. She is near; even better, she is
already there inside you.
With the success of
Kidd’s books, many women are encountering goddess spirituality for the very
first time. Kidd’s writing swings the door wide open and invites women to
sample neo-pagan beliefs and practices, to hear from leading figures in the
goddess movement, and perhaps even to join her on her journey of
“awakening.”
Kidd’s message is a sort of reverse gospel, from a woman
who has thoroughly sampled the Christian life and has found it wanting. Take
note, because millions of women are meeting the goddess face to face in this
“masterpiece of women’s wisdom.”
When I first read her memoir, and considered her spiritual journey and the choices she made, I was shocked. How could she abandon the Truth? Turn her back on the Savior and the Son of the Living God? Then I felt sad. She’s deliberately following a path that leads away from God and into very dangerous places. She’s very influential, and she’s leading many other women away with her on her spiritual journey. What is my responsibility here? Have I contributed in any way to turning women away from Truth, in the person of Jesus Christ? And what can I do to reflect light into this mysterious new cultural yearning for the sacred feminine?
I’m still working through the answers to these questions. I hope you will consider them, too.
My next post will feature some other blogs out there who are talking about Kidd and her work. Meanwhile, a few quotes from women readers who’ve encountered Kidd’s books:
Some quotes from Kidd’s website… (from www.suemonkkidd.com)
· “It is a relief to know that I’m not the only one going
through this.” (Leesha)
· “This is an area that scares the pants off some people.
It is fascinating to me because it is just what I’ve been looking for most of
my thinking life. But I am reluctant to share what I’m learning with people I
know and love —especially the male ones. I don’t think they’d understand and I
don’t feel knowledgeable enough in my convictions to argue my point, at least
in a convincing enough manner.” (Becky)
· “I come from a Mormon background and they talk about a
burning feeling in the bosom when you know that something is true and endowed
with the holy spirit. They’d never take me serious if I told them I had that
feeling reading The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. It wasn’t the book
that began my spiritual journey, but it propelled me into a different
direction, the sacred feminine direction. (Skye)
· “How wonderful it is to find a place to unleash my
thoughts about The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. I am 20 years old,
studying abroad in Sweden for the semester. I believe God truly placed me in
this vulnerable situation with DDD in hand to allow me to take my first
steps as an enlightened woman outside of all comforts of home. But I’m scared.
This is so new to me.” (Corrie)
One Response 
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SUSY FLORY is a New York Times best selling author, speaker, and journalist who searches out big stories with happy endings. She's I'm always looking for true stories that inspire and challenge her readers to embrace a life of passion, boldness, & adventure. 
Thank you for the book recommendation. It is one i should probably seek out & read.
You asked, “How could she abandon the Truth?”
To embrace the other half of the Larger Divine Truth is not a circumstance of abandoning the Truth.
“Turn her back on the Savior and the Son of the Living God?”
The Savior returns (spiritually) in His feminine aspect as the Savioress, Sophia, *Daughter* of God and Goddess. There is no problem for Real Christ in this. He and Sophia are One with our Heavenly Father and our Heavenly Mother.
“And what can I do to reflect light into this mysterious new cultural yearning for the sacred feminine?”
*Her* Divine Light — as the Living Holy Spirit — is accessible to *everyone*. We dwell in Her & She dwells in us.
You wrote, “She’s deliberately following a path that leads away from God…”
The Divine is omnipresent. No “getting away” from God/dess!
~~in He/r,
~~wynn manners
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Dear Wynn,
You’re a little disingenuous in your comment, as my post obviously is not recommending the book, but rather calling attention to and disagreeing with its message.
I do appreciate you sharing your thoughts and beliefs. It helps to understand where you’re coming from.
What’s a little confusing, I think, is your use of the words Christ, Heavenly Father, and Holy Spirit, because your definition of those words is very different from mine, which are based on the Bible, God’s unchanging Word.
And, yes, I’d agree that Divine Light is available for everyone, but only through the life, sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God. The Bible teaches that a personal relationship with Jesus is the only way to have that Light.
SUSY
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