John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer is a Netflix true crime documentary series from Brazilian filmmakers Mauricio Dias and Tatiana Villela about the titular scoundrel (real name João Teixeira de Faria). Known for decades in South America, João de Deus ( John of God) was a prolific medium who claimed to channel the spirits of dozens of doctors, biblical figures (e.g., King Solomon), and others. John of God is perhaps best known for performing psychic surgeries, claiming to treat and remove tumors and disease using only his hands (although in some cases, he also used scalpels or forceps) at his compound in the small Brazilian town of Abadiania.
Dispensing herbal medications and spiritual cleansings to his white-clad staff and followers, he claimed to have treated millions of people since the 1970s. Oprah Winf rey, never shy about promoting pseudoscience and bullshit, endorsed John of God both in her magazine (in 2010) and on her television show in a 2013 segment titled “Do You Believe in Miracles?” In true fleecing fashion, he and his followers sold crystals, herbs, amulets, “healing water,” and other such typical New Age quasi-religious baubles.