John Of God Arrested

[arthwollipot]

We've all heard of this guy, right? The guy who does magic tricks to deceive people into thinking he's healing them? Well... one of the guys anyway.

Turns out he has a nasty habit of sexually abusing people as well.

Miracle healer accused of sex abuse by 300+ women hands himself in

Brazilian police in the central state of Goias say the healer accused of sexually abusing more than 300 women has turned himself in.

Joao Teixeira de Faria, who is known as Joao de Deus or John of God, became internationally famous when Oprah Winfrey broadcast a report on his psychic healing methods in 2013.

He had until 3pm local time on Saturday to comply with an arrest warrant.

He is accused of sexually abusing women, mainly during psychic treatments. His fame has been boosted by supposedly miraculous surgeries he claims to have performed with his hands and without anaesthesia. In videos from his practice in Abadiania, a small town that flourished along with his client list, he is seen performing surgery on several people during group meetings.

 

[8enotto]

I seen a documentary that included him that was done from a believer in miracles POV. Quite the showman and no attempts at follow up to check his long term success rate.

To be sure I think the guy leaving his crutches at the steps was a medicine show type plant by the good Healer. Others came and left in wheelchairs despite being healed. On the documentary he seemed so wholesome and respected.

 

[Puppycow]

Joao Teixeira de Faria, who is known as Joao de Deus or John of God, became internationally famous when Oprah Winfrey broadcast a report on his psychic healing methods in 2013.

Did she uncritically promote him I wonder?

 

[dann]

To be sure I think the guy leaving his crutches at the steps was a medicine show type plant by the good Healer. Others came and left in wheelchairs despite being healed. On the documentary he seemed so wholesome and respected.

Remember what Émile Zola said about 'miracles' like these:

“The road to Lourdes is littered with crutches, but not one wooden leg.”

 

[Bikewer]

“John of God” has been carrying on the same sort of scams worked by a predecessor, “Arigo of the rusty knife”.

I read an entirely uncritical book on Arigo co-authored by our old friend, Puharich....

Randi subsequently deconstructed the “miracles” and showed how Arigo’s scam worked.... He would not charge his “clients” for his treatments. However, he would write indecipherable “prescriptions” for them.
These prescriptions could only be dechiphered by one pharmacist....His brother. The useless bottles of colored water were NOT free.....

 

[Giordano]

I've concluded that the number of holy men, priests, evangelists, religious "leaders" of all kind who do not use their positions to sexually abuse their followers are a very rare minority. Perhaps we should honor those few who show some moral fabric by only ripping off their congregations financially? "Gee, you are a despicable con man, but at least you're not a rapist..."

 

[dann]

I've concluded that the number of holy men, priests, evangelists, religious "leaders" of all kind who do not use their positions to sexually abuse their followers are a very rare minority.

Please, avoid the hyperbole. Leave it to them!

 

[Pixel42]

If there's one thing I've learned from all the sex scandals of the last few years, not just the ones involving the churches, it's that the percentage of men who will eagerly abuse vulnerable women and children - if given the opportunity, and a reasonable certainty of getting away with it - is disgustingly high.

 

[Ranb]

John of God was the subject of an ABC puff piece. It was discussed in this thread from 2005.

http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34729&highlight=john

James Randi's contribution to the story was edited down to less than a minute and that was the most skeptical part of the entire show.

Ranb

 

[Dr. Keith]

If there's one thing I've learned from all the sex scandals of the last few years, not just the ones involving the churches, it's that the percentage of men who will eagerly abuse vulnerable women and children - if given the opportunity, and a reasonable certainty of getting away with it - is disgustingly high.

Agreed.

 

[Giordano]

If there's one thing I've learned from all the sex scandals of the last few years, not just the ones involving the churches, it's that the percentage of men who will eagerly abuse vulnerable women and children - if given the opportunity, and a reasonable certainty of getting away with it - is disgustingly high.

Absolutely I agree that it is both highly disgusting and surprisingly wide in occurrence. I wonder if it originates to some degree in the amoral (immoral in this case) tenet of natural selection that evolution favors whatever "traits" that can result in successful production of more progeny. In this case, the trait is acquisition of wealth and/or power over others such that one can pressure them into sex. Of course the abuser is not consciously seeking offspring from the encounter, likely the opposite, but ultimately the desire for sex does originate from the deep, often subconscious instinct to create progeny. And in fact this rape of those within one's power probably does not actually increase one's progeny at all. But it is reminiscent to how alpha males in the social groupings of other species have breeding advantages. Are the submissive females in those situations always "consenting" or are they sometimes forced to mate? Understanding this is made even more complicated by the existence of estrus cycles in most non-human species versus the pattern of receptivity and timing in humans.

Notably wealth and power are inherited in many families (although not genetically)...

To be clear I am not justifying this perversion in any way. We as humans pride ourselves as being much more than instincts and capable of much more than the limitations assigned to us by evolution. We don't diminish the immorality of murder because in some cases it makes a kind of evolutionary "sense." I am not suggesting that what happens in wolf pacts, or even chimp groups, diminishes the immorality of rape in humans.

 

[Wolrab]

Religion, getting guys laid since 21,673 BCE.

 

[arthwollipot]

Did she uncritically promote him I wonder?

Yes, she did.

 

[dann]

If there's one thing I've learned from all the sex scandals of the last few years, not just the ones involving the churches, it's that the percentage of men who will eagerly abuse vulnerable women and children - if given the opportunity, and a reasonable certainty of getting away with it - is disgustingly high.

Agreed.

Absolutely I agree that it is both highly disgusting and surprisingly wide in occurrence.

Me too, but I wasn't surprised that it is as "wide in occurrence" as it is. After all, you read and hear about it all the time. What took me by surprise, however, was how difficult it was to have a serious discussion about it: What makes some people want to have sex with unwilling 'partners'?
(The childish glee with which some posters take pride in ruining the discussion, i.e. "their technique," is less surprising.)

I wonder if it originates to some degree in the amoral (immoral in this case) tenet of natural selection that evolution favors whatever "traits" that can result in successful production of more progeny.

I don't think that it has much to do with evolution apart from the fact that the sex drive in general is obviously an evolutionary sine qua non. For instance the pedophilia that is so wide in occurrence in the case of Catholic priests won't result in offspring if the victims aren't yet of reproductive age ... or of the same sex as the perpetrators.

 

[Giordano]

Me too, but I wasn't surprised that it is as "wide in occurrence" as it is. After all, you read and hear about it all the time. What took me by surprise, however, was how difficult it was to have a serious discussion about it: What makes some people want to have sex with unwilling 'partners'?
(The childish glee with which some posters take pride in ruining the discussion, i.e. "their technique," is less surprising.)




I don't think that it has much to do with evolution apart from the fact that the sex drive in general is obviously an evolutionary sine qua non. For instance the pedophilia that is so wide in occurrence in the case of Catholic priests won't result in offspring if the victims aren't yet of reproductive age ... or of the same sex as the perpetrators.[/QUOTE]

I see the human urge to have sex as a very strong instinct that originally derived from the evolutionary goal of promoting reproduction, but that is no longer is inevitably linked to reproduction. As you point out, humans have sex much more often in situations where reproduction is not consciously desired and/or not even physically possible compared to circumstances where offspring are possible. Part of this arises from the unusual nature of human sexuality compared to most other animals. Females in the latter are only receptive during defined estrous cycles when they are also fertile and very likely to conceive. Humane females are potentially receptive at any time of the month, even when they are not fertile. Men are receptive pretty much any time. Some have speculated that in humans this sex independent of fertility contributes to the formation and stabilization of long term relationships, not just conception, and that these long term relationships help in the successful raising of any children who are conceived during the fertile periods. Perhaps this reflects the long time it requires to raise human children compared to most other species.

But the bottom line is that I don't really know and that human sexuality is very complicated. But whatever the origins, to quote Henry Kissinger "Power is an aphrodisiac." I think he meant it as men with power attract women, but sadly it appears to also mean that many men with power become filled with lust that overcomes any pitiful morals they might have and causes them to rape women.

 

[Thermal]

If there's one thing I've learned from all the sex scandals of the last few years, not just the ones involving the churches, it's that the percentage of men who will eagerly abuse vulnerable women and children - if given the opportunity, and a reasonable certainty of getting away with it - is disgustingly high.

Any percentage of abusers is disgusting, but I would hope overall that most guys...the overwhelming majority...would do no such thing. Most of us have the theoretical opportunity now and then. It's not an option on the table for most of us (hopefully in the 99%+ percentage)

 

[xjx388]

Me too, but I wasn't surprised that it is as "wide in occurrence" as it is. After all, you read and hear about it all the time. What took me by surprise, however, was how difficult it was to have a serious discussion about it: What makes some people want to have sex with unwilling 'partners'?
(The childish glee with which some posters take pride in ruining the discussion, i.e. "their technique," is less surprising.)

If your idea of a serious discussion is what you did in that thread which theprestige so aptly mocked, you are in for a lot of surprise and difficult times!

I don't think that it has much to do with evolution apart from the fact that the sex drive in general is obviously an evolutionary sine qua non.

So it doesn't have "much to do with evolution" but also everything to do with evolution?

For instance the pedophilia that is so wide in occurrence in the case of Catholic priests won't result in offspring if the victims aren't yet of reproductive age ... or of the same sex as the perpetrators.

But the sex drive is what motivates sexual expression and the sex drive exists because of the need to reproduce. So yes, inappropriate sexual expression is the result of evolutionary urges conflicting with other human motivations such as power, competition, etc.

 

[William Parcher]

'Supernatural' events terrify police while interrogating celebrity medium John of God over sexual abuse claims as computer 'takes on life of its own' and electrical appliances short circuit

Detectives questioning a celebrity medium in Brazil, accused of sexually abusing more than 300 women, have reported spooky goings-on during their two hour interrogation. Unexplained incidents ranging from a 'bizarre' computer crash to wiring on electrical appliances suddenly 'short circuiting' appears to suggest supernatural forces were at play during the interview.

The mysterious problems unnerved cops but didn't deter them from collecting the testimony from faith healer, João Teixeira de Faria, who is known as João de Deus – John of God on Sunday night in Goiânia.

Detective Karla Fernandes, responsible for coordinating the task force investigating the allegations, claimed that as the spiritual guru began to speak, strange things started to happen. She said to Folha de Sao Paulo: 'Suddenly the computer that was being used to transcribe the suspect's answers to the allegations seemed to have a life of its own and the commands on the keyboard wouldn't work.

'When the clerk tried to enter the medium's statement, the keys locked on a specific letter and 'OOOOOOO' was recorded continuously on the screen for a few seconds.'

Although this has never happened before, bemused agents put the incident down to a faulty computer. But when the printer in the room began to print without receiving a command and a fridge blew up, their thoughts turned to paranormal interference.

Det Fernandes said: 'It was hot in the interrogation room and I decided to turn on the air conditioning. I plugged the lead into an extension shared with a mini-fridge and the electrical wiring suddenly exploded, burning out the fridge. Everyone in the room screamed with fright.'...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ing-celebrity-medium-sexual-abuse-claims.html

 

[bytewizard]

The "O" key was stuck = paranormal
An extension cord overloaded = paranormal
The printer printed something = paranormal
Everyone in the room who screamed with fright = idiots

 

[Swordfishtrombone]

This is good news. He belongs in prison. And not just for sexual abuse, in my book, he belonged in prison long before that came out, for being a con-artist who endangered people's health by performing fake "psychic" surgery on them, and having them believe they are cured, and stop taking medication for their condition, whatever it may be.

And Oprah - who some want to see as president of the US - uncritically promoted this deplorable character. Fortunately, it seems she isn't interested in running.

She's well meaning, but doesn't have the critical thinking ability of a gnat.