#1153: Alice Smith

Alice Smith became more widely known by being part of the impressive group of extremist fundies and dominionists Rick Perry assembled for his infamous Prayer Rally (“The Response”) in 2011. Smith might not have been the most famous or highly profiled fundie there, but she is pretty typical of the lot. With her husband Eddie, Smith is cofounder and executive director of the U.S. Prayer Center in Houston, a pretty prolific speaker on topics such as intercessory prayer, spiritual warfare, deliverance, and so on; editor of Insight; and author of books and articles for outlets such as the Charisma magazine. She is also a regular guest on the 700 Club and Benny Hinn’s show.

She is most famous for her promotion of “spiritual housecleaning”, and has even written a book on the topic. We’ll let her explain:

“Demons do not need a specific invitation to oppress and influence people’s lives; they sneak into homes, families and churches at the smallest opportunity, often under the noses of even the most vigilant believers. Spiritual House Cleaning explains, step by step, how readers can rid their lives of the enemy’s influence ... A demonically infected atmosphere is a result of ‘doors’ that have been left open – doors of sin, even the sins of previous residents and of past generations! And evil’s grip is often maintained as a result of one’s possessions. Your home should reflect the pure, peaceful presence of Christ. A defiled spiritual atmosphere will affect you, your relationships, your health and even your success.”

Apparently “cursed items”, which can include everything from shirts to rings, maintain a “spiritual umbilical cord” that attaches to you and gives demonic spirits the ability to plague you with sickness and fill your home with “spiritual pollution”. Yup, that’s the stuff Smith spends her life writing about.

Diagnosis: Yet another piece of evidence, if any were needed, of how unfit Rick Perry ever was for office. As for Smith, though, she shouldn’t really be trusted to use a doorknob without supervision. Completely insane.