Sarah Palin and the Exorcist: Before She Ran for Governor, a Kenyan Witch Hunter and Demon Vanquisher Laid Hands on Her and Said, “Lord Make a Way”—and the Lord Apparently Did!

The Times of London reports today on Sarah Palin’s curious connection to the witchcraft and demon hunting Kenyan pastor, Thomas Muthee:

The pastor whose prayer Sarah Palin says helped her to become governor of Alaska founded his ministry with a witchhunt against a Kenyan woman who he accused of causing car accidents through demonic spells.

At a speech at the Wasilla Assembly of God on June 8 this year, Mrs Palin described how Thomas Muthee had laid his hands on her when he visited the church as a guest preacher in late 2005, prior to her successful gubernatorial bid.

In video footage of the speech, she is seen saying: “As I was mayor and Pastor Muthee was here and he was praying over me, and you know how he speaks and he’s so bold. And he was praying “Lord make a way, Lord make a way.”

“And I’m thinking, this guy’s really bold, he doesn’t even know what I’m going to do, he doesn’t know what my plans are. And he’s praying not “oh Lord if it be your will may she become governor,” no, he just prayed for it. He said “Lord make a way and let her do this next step. And that’s exactly what happened.”

She then adds: “So, again, very very powerful, coming from this church,” before the presiding pastor comments on the “prophetic power” of the event.

An African evangelist, Pastor Muthee has given guest sermons at the Wasilla Assembly of God on at least 10 occasions in his role as the founder of the Word of Faith Church, also known as the Prayer Cave.

The Times of London article goes on to name the specific woman that Thomas Muthee targeted with accusations of witchcraft:

According to the Christian Science Monitor, six months of fervent prayer and research identified the source of the witchcraft as a local woman called Mama Jane, who ran a “divination” centre called the Emmanuel Clinic.

Her alleged involvement in fortune-telling and the fact that she lived near the site of a number of fatal car accidents led Pastor Muthee to publicly declare her a witch responsible for the town’s ills, and order her to offer up her soul for salvation or leave Kiambu. 

The woman subsequently was driven from her town. The article does not say under what circumstances. Was she physically threatened? Was she shunned and shamed—or harassed?

The article does not say.

Here’s the video where Palin talks about Thomas Muthee:

And here’s the link to the Christian Science Monitor archive article on Thomas Muthee, dated 23, 1999:

http://www.csmonitor.com/1999/0923/p15s1.html

And here’s a tragic, contemporary news story of a woman accused of witchcraft in Saudi Arabia:

This sort of anti-female fundamentalism, accompanied by medieval levels of superstition, is very troubling—and is especially so when contemplating that the next VP of the United States might take her own fundamentalism and superstition with equal seriousness.

How is this different from having an American VP in the 21st century who believes in, say, astrology or young earth creationism?

Oh wait, Palin also appears to believe in young earth creationism (see here).

So never mind.

For an update on the “witch,” Mama Jane, click here.