Posted on 02/10/2005 1:20:31 PM PST by missyme
For more than 30 years, millions of desperate people from around the world -- the sick, the crippled, the terminally ill -- have made a pilgrimage to the remote high plateaus of central Brazil in search of a cure.
They travel to see a man who is said to have miraculous healing powers and can supposedly perform surgeries without pain or even anesthesia. His acolytes call him "Joao de Deus" or "John of God."
In an hour-long report, "Primetime Live" co-anchor John Quinones travels to Brazil to find out whether these incredible stories can possibly be true, whether "John of God" is, as his believers claim, a miracle man or, as his detractors argue, a charlatan.
"Primetime Live" airs Thursday, Feb. 10, at 10 p.m. ET.
Quinones comes face-to-face with "John of God," who claims that, through him, God heals believers through "visible" surgeries, using some startling and unorthodox techniques -- including sticking long forceps up the nostrils and twisting them violently.
Other "visible" surgeries involve cutting believers with scalpels, using no anesthesia. "John of God" claims his hands are guided by the spirits of more than 30 dead doctors, some of whom have been dead for centuries. He also performs so-called "invisible" surgeries without even laying hands on people. The medium performs such a procedure on Quinones, in an effort to see if he can heal an old shoulder injury.
"Primetime" follows some hopeful pilgrims as they make their emotional journeys: Matthew Ireland of Brattleboro, Vt., seeking a cure for the rapidly growing brain tumor that threatens his life; Annabel Sclippa from Boulder, Colo., who wants to walk again after being paralyzed in a car accident 17 years ago; Mary Hendrickson, who wants relief from the chronic fatigue syndrome and severe allergies that have made her life miserable; San Francisco attorney David Ames, hoping for a reprieve from his debilitating and terminal Lou Gehrig's Disease; and South African actress Lisa Melman, who has refused traditional surgery to treat her breast cancer.
Later, in a sit-down interview, Quinones questions "John of God" about his claim that people are healed by his channeling of energy from the spirits. Quinones talks with a noted skeptic, who says the whole enterprise is a front for a money-making scheme -- even though "John of God" charges no fee for treatment.
"Primetime" examined the medical records of the patients followed in this hour, and also consulted one of the world's most respected surgeons, Dr. Mehmet Oz. He has some surprising things to say about whether there could be real medical merit to "John of God's" controversial healing methods.
even though "John of God" charges no fee for treatment.
He probably believes he can cure people.
I never even heard of this Brazillian Guy.....
Lets see him resurrect himself from the dead.
As usual they will send the easily fooled as observers. Need a James Randi or someone else with sleight of hand experience.
Guys like Randi (who has busted Uri Geller, Peter Popov, etc.) are so famous now these clowns are smart enough not to allow them anywhere near them.
Oh, I think that's a little extreme. I think regrowing a few amputated limbs would be a good demonstration.
I think it was Mark Twain who, upon being shown the vast piles of discarded canes and crutches at Lourdes, asked "Where are all the wooden legs??"
A young woman who used to work in our office and then quit to find a job in Europe was later diagnosed with brain cancer. U.S. doctors said there was nothing they could do. She had an email list and she would occasionally update us on her condition.
She pursued a number of alternative medical possibilities. She traveled to Brazil a couple of times, I don't know if it was to this guy or someone else. She seemed hopeful, and at least this pursuit of a cure seemed to console her.
I heard a few months ago that she had died. Sad business. But I've been through cancer myself, and I'm convinced that the most important thing, in addition to good medical treatment, is not to give up hope. You need to fight it.
LMAO Twain was great wasn't he?
On the 10-oclock news, the local Dallas ABC TV affiliate was going to interview a Dallas lady who claims this guy healed her.
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