John of God (João Teixeira de Faria)
Brazilian 'faith healer' João Teixeira de Faria, who claimed to channel deceased spirits at his Casa de Dom Inácio in Abadiânia. Multiple Oprah-Winfrey-promoted appearances. Convicted of rape in 2019; over 600 women have alleged sexual abuse.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
+1 for criminal conviction (rape) and documented systematic sexual abuse of hundreds of women.
Profile facts
In context
John of God ran a major spiritual-healing tourism operation in central Brazil for decades, attracting Western seekers including Oprah Winfrey (who profiled him approvingly in 2010). After Globo's 2018 investigation and the testimony of more than 600 women alleging sexual abuse during private 'spiritual treatments', he was arrested and subsequently convicted of multiple rape charges, receiving a sentence of 63+ years across separate trials.
Key control doctrines
- John of God as 'medium' for healing entities
- Crystal-bed treatments
- Submission to 'spiritual treatment'
Recovery resources
- The Dream (podcast) — Jane Marie's investigative podcast on MLM cults.
- Anti-MLM Coalition — Ex-distributor advocacy community focused on MLM exit and financial recovery.
- Truth in Advertising (TINA.org) — Consumer-protection watchdog tracking MLM income-claim and product-safety issues.
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Notable public ex-members
- Multiple survivor testimonies
Legal cases & controversies
- 2019+ Brazilian rape convictions; cumulative sentence 63+ years
Evidence by BITE axis
- Private 'spiritual treatments' became sites of sexual abuse
- Submission to 'spiritual treatment'
- +1 for criminal conviction (rape) and documented systematic sexual abuse of hundreds of women
- Founder claimed channeling of deceased spirits
- Visible 'psychic surgery' demonstrations
- International celebrity endorsements
- Substantial fees for proximity and treatment
- John of God as 'medium' for healing entities
- Crystal-bed treatments
Timeline
- 1976Casa de Dom Inácio founded in Abadiânia
- 2010Oprah Winfrey profile broadcasts
- 2018Globo investigation and arrest
- 2019+Multiple convictions totalling 63+ years
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Globo 'Conversa com Bial' investigation (2018) search ↗
- Brazilian court records 2019+ search ↗
- Various international news coverage search ↗
- Espero que a justiça seja feita', diz Oprah Winfrey sobre João de Deus — https://f5.folha.uol.com.br/celebridades/2018/12/espero-que-a-justica-seja-feita-diz-oprah-winfrey-sobre-joao-de-deus.shtml open ↗
- Série 'João Sem Deus' causa impacto emocional ao dramatizar o escândalo de Abadiânia — https://f5.folha.uol.com.br/colunistas/tonygoes/2023/10/serie-joao-sem-deus-causa-impacto-emocional-ao-dramatizar-o-escandalo-de-abadiania.shtml open ↗
- Celebrity Healer in Brazil Is Accused of Sexually Abusing Followers — https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/11/world/americas/brazil-healer-john-of-god.html open ↗
- Twelve Women Accuse Medium John of God of Sexual Abuse — https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2018/12/twelve-women-accuse-medium-john-of-god-of-sexual-abuse.shtml open ↗
- How Did João Teixeira de Faria Get the Nickname 'John of God' and Where Is He Now? — https://www.newsweek.com/john-god-nickname-joao-teixeira-de-faria-where-john-god-now-today-1623007 open ↗
- Brazilian faith healer accused of sexually assaulting 300 women turns himself in — https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/16/brazilian-faith-healer-accused-sexually-assaulting-300-women/ open ↗
- Brazil faith healer wanted by police as abuse cases mount — https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazil-faith-healer-wanted-by-police-as-abuse-cases-mount/2018/12/14/193bc5c0-ffea-11e8-a17e-162b712e8fc2_story.html open ↗
- Brazil spiritual healer sentenced to 19 years for four rapes — https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazil-spiritual-healer-sentenced-to-19-years-for-four-rapes/2019/12/19/e21d760a-2299-11ea-b034-de7dc2b5199b_story.html open ↗
- Is John of God a Healer or a Charlatan — https://abcnews.go.com/Health/Primetime/story?id=939529&page=1 open ↗
- John of God — Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions (2018) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1007%2F978-3-319-08956-0_538-1 open ↗
- 10.1590/S0034-77012009000200004 — https://dx.doi.org/10.1590%2FS0034-77012009000200004 open ↗
- Panorama Político — http://oglobo.globo.com/blogs/ilimar/posts/2013/06/30/a-coluna-panorama-politico-30-06-do-peri%C3%B3dico-globo-501109.asp open ↗
- Oprah grava entrevista com médium João de Deus em Goiás — http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/1069140-oprah-grava-entrevista-com-medium-joao-de-deus-em-goias.shtml open ↗
- Justiça de Goiás decreta prisão de João de Deus — https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/justica-de-goias-decreta-prisao-de-joao-de-deus-23305920 open ↗
- Movimentações em contas de João de Deus após denúncias reforçaram pedido de prisão — https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2018/12/movimentacoes-em-contas-de-joao-de-deus-apos-denuncias-reforcaram-pedido-de-prisao.shtml open ↗
- Mônica Bergamo: Médium João de Deus se entrega à polícia e é preso em Goiás — https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/monicabergamo/2018/12/medium-joao-de-deus-se-entrega-a-policia-e-e-preso-em-goias.shtml open ↗
- João de Deus é denunciado pela décima vez por crimes sexuais — https://oglobo.globo.com/sociedade/joao-de-deus-denunciado-pela-decima-vez-por-crimes-sexuais-24049390 open ↗
- Cirurgia espiritual: uma investigação — Revista da Associação Médica Brasileira (2000) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1590%2FS0104-42302000000300002 open ↗
- Oprah tira do ar entrevista com João de Deus após acusações de abuso sexual contra ele — https://f5.folha.uol.com.br/celebridades/2018/12/oprah-tira-do-ar-entrevista-com-joao-de-deus-apos-acusacoes-de-abuso-sexual-contra-ele.shtml open ↗
- Denúncias seguem carreira de João de Deus — https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1995/6/18/cotidiano/4.html open ↗
- A globalização da cura espírita Biomedicina, João de Deus e seus seguidores australianos — Tempo Social (2015) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1590%2F0103-20702015019 open ↗
- Cópia arquivada em 29 de julho de 2023 — https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-08956-0_538-1 open ↗
- John of God: Miracle worker or charlatan? — https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/john-of-god-miracle-worker-or-charlatan-20141002-10jl7q.html open ↗
- Panorama Político — http://oglobo.globo.com/blogs/ilimar/posts/2013/06/30/a-coluna-panorama-politico-30-06-do-jornal-globo-501109.asp open ↗
- Controversial Brazilian faith healer John of God visits Sydney — https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/controversial-brazilian-faith-healer-john-of-god-visits-sydney-20141122-11rrty.html open ↗
- Science and the Parascience Cults — http://www.jstor.org/stable/3961111 open ↗
- Science and the Parascience Cults — Science News (1976) — https://dx.doi.org/10.2307%2F3961111 open ↗
- Quando vi pela 1ª vez João de Deus, disse à minha mulher: é bandido — https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/drauziovarella/2020/02/quando-vi-pela-1a-vez-joao-de-deus-disse-a-minha-mulher-e-bandido.shtml open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2018/12/13/bresil-joao-de-deus-le-medium-predateur-sexuel_5397004_3210.html open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Wellness / MLM.
- 2026-05-20Source-density flags derived from existing free-text sources[]: court records. Heuristic auto-flag; subsequent editorial pass will populate structuredSources[] with reliability tiers.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Key terms in this profile
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
- Start herePick the reading path that matches your situation.
- PatternsDocumented control patterns with linked profiles.
- Financial controlCommon pattern in wellness, MLM, and coaching contexts.
- Online groupsMany wellness and coaching groups operate online-first.
- FamiliesHow families and close friends can engage with high-control members.
- RecoveryIf you have left or are preparing to leave.
You may also want to explore
Frequently asked questions
Q.Is John of God a cult?
CLCI Hub deliberately avoids the binary label "cult." Instead it places groups on a transparent 0–40 spectrum of documented control using Steven Hassan's BITE model (Behaviour, Information, Thought, Emotional). John of God scores 28 out of 40 — "High Control", at high confidence. The score describes documented control patterns, not a judgement of members' sincerity or beliefs; many members do not personally experience the patterns listed.
Q.What is John of God's CLCI score?
John of God scores 28 out of 40 on the Cult-Like Control Index, which falls in the "High" band. That total is the sum of four BITE axes — Behaviour 7, Information 6, Thought 7, Emotional 7 — plus a signed modifier of +1 for aggravating or mitigating factors.
Q.Why does John of God score 28 on the CLCI?
The score reflects publicly documented patterns including: Founder claimed channeling of deceased spirits; Visible 'psychic surgery' demonstrations; Private 'spiritual treatments' became sites of sexual abuse; International celebrity endorsements. These map onto the BITE axes of behaviour, information, thought, and emotional control, and a signed modifier of +1 is applied for factors such as financial demands, leadership accountability, and exit costs. Every claim is backed by the citations in the Sources section on this page.
Q.How reliable is the John of God rating?
This profile is rated High confidence. High confidence means the score is backed by court records, academic work, and/or sustained investigative journalism. CLCI scores are not fixed — they are revised whenever new public evidence appears, and groups that reform can score lower over time.
Q.Where can I get help regarding John of God?
If you or someone you care about is affected by John of God, start with the Recovery resources listed on this page. General cult-aware support is available from the International Cultic Studies Association (icsahome.com) and the Freedom of Mind Resource Center (freedomofmind.com). CLCI Hub is an educational resource, not a crisis service — if anyone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services.
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.