Beyond the Controversial Russell Brand Rape Conviction, Consider the Predicament of John of God

Some of the comments at X.com regarding the controversial rape conviction and today's sentencing of actor and social media influencer Russell Brand are shown below.  Usually with trending topics such as this one, there are numerous posts when news first breaks yet within a matter of days the posts no longer appear in my and presumably other people's X.com For you and News feeds.
 

 

As with the Russell Brand trial, there was unusual secrecy during court proceedings with the trial against John of God in Brazil.  There have been eight previous blog articles involving the John of God (João de Deus/João Teixeira da Faria) trance channeler spiritual healing facilitator case chronology.  (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)  Here follow some of the commentary shared in these articles.
   

In the book, Bragdon wrote that John of God is "living proof of a unique form of mediumship in which benevolent spirits, aka disembodied entities, or angels, use his body to perform seemingly miraculous healing, including both physical and psychic surgery."  There've been other Brazilians who've healed in what appeared to be a similar manner with their work chronicled in books offering firsthand testimonials.  1

Pellegrino-Estrich wrote that rich, poor and famous people have all come to João.  "Prominent and well-known people from all over the world have sought his help . . . Congressmen and congresswomen, politicians, lawyers, rabbis, priests, nuns, American and Russian government officials, doctors, scientists, singers, entertainers, millionaires, entrepreneurs, industrialists and VIPs; the whole broad spectrum of humanity."  2

The spiritual healing facilitated by John of God (João de Deus) is known among millions of people who have received treatment from the Brazilian trance channeler.  When I searched "John of God" at Google, one of the first results was a link to a rare mainstream media article about him — the February 10, 2005 ABC News article "Is 'John of God' a Healer or a Charlatan?" derived from an "ABC Primetime" special report telecast.  3

As Kelsie rested in bed at her cabin, she checked to see if the lump in her breast had become smaller and was startled when she couldn't find any trace of it.  "I started poking around as my mind was sure it had to still be there . . . Then I heard a firm, clear and loud voice that said, 'STOP POKING AND PRODDING! YOU JUST HAD SURGERY!'"

Her lower back pain was also gone.  She received a second intervention a few days later and observed, "This one was much more difficult for me.  It felt like the spirits were pulling tentacles out of my energetic field.  This is the best way I can describe the images."

In her book there are further recollections of occasional instances of voice hearing phenomena providing spiritual guidance for Kelsie, who observed, "It can be a challenging situation in our culture when people hear voices.  Sometimes it is because they are in touch with the world of spirit."  4

People with only a casual knowledge of Brazil's John of God don't realize the vast amount of existing documentation about this case.  In one YouTube video, an American doctor is seen making an investigation.  Emma Bragdon wrote in Spiritual Alliances (2002): "João de Deus has been studied by teams of legitimate scientists from Russia, Germany, the USA, Japan and France . . . The scientists who studied João are convinced of his capabilities, but bewildered as to how to handle the information."  5

One of the difficulties with the accusations against João concerns the phenomena of trance 'channeling' — historical records such as those about the Oracle at Delphi show this to be a natural aspect of human life on Earth since the dawn of earthly civilizations.  Some of the women now suspicious that they could have been abused may not understand João's mentality and circumstances as a trance channeler.  João himself is not conscious while 'in entity' and therefore will have no memory of channeling intervals.

Considering the predicament of readers learning about the abuse accusations, the articles generally have completely overlooked 76-year-old João's record of conscientiously helping so many people during recent decades.  It is also evident that young people in particular may not comprehend how a man of his age does not have the libido sometimes associated with perpetrators of sexual abuse.

For decades João Teixeira da Faria known as 'John of God' has been successfully treating patients at his internationally known healing center in the presence of patients and staff members, including numerous volunteers.  6
 
The documentation of John of God (João de Deus) is probably the best documented trance healing case on record, chronicled in many books and YouTube videos . . . In December João was a subject of news articles concerning sexual abuse claims against him although it is unclear about how knowledgeable are the accusers about channeling.  The United States media coverage shows that most journalists in this country seem to have no personal familiarity with João's circumstances and career.  The articles focus on claims similar to those associated with what has come to be known as the 'Me Too' movement — something far more familiar to journalists.  7

I also commented to Mike about the travesty of what happened to John of God in Brazil where the 77-year-old internationally renowned trance channel healer has been sentenced to prison for "raping" four women after a brief and sensational American media onslaught in December 2018.  I told Mike, "His side of what happened never even was reported in the media."  Brazilian articles have stated that the medium was detained for a year and has always denied the crimes.  The only considerate perspective that I've seen is presented in a 34 minute video by Gail Thackray entitled "The Truth about John of God Sexual Assault Claims".  A previous unsubstantiated criminal allegation about John of God prior to the events in 2018 was made in a 2014 segment of the TV show "60 Minutes Australia."  8

"The Truth about John of God Sexual Assault Claims"

 
  
The most recent news media article that this blogger has found about John of God is being presented in the article so readers may assess the circumstances of the channeler / healing facilitator who once was widely beloved in Brazil and known throughout the world with his case chronology documented in nonfiction case study books, as shown below.
  

 

Featured Perspective from jurinews.com.br:

COLLECTIVE CIVIL LIABILITY

"Justice condemns João de Deus and Spiritist center to indemnify R $ 20 million for sexual abuse"

Victims may request individual compensation for material and moral damages within five years

By Newsroom (7/10/2026)
 

The Goiás Justice condemned João Teixeira de Faria, known as João de Deus, and the Centro Espírita Dom Inácio de Loyola to the payment of R$ 20 million for collective moral damages.  Judgment is the result of sexual abuse within the entity or in connection with spiritual care and activities organized by the center in Abadiania.  The decision was obtained by Public Prosecutor's Office of Goiás (MP-GO), which sued the action to hold the defendants responsible for the damage caused to the victims.

The judgment, signed by Judge André Luiz Ligório, also recognized the solidarity responsibility of João de Deus and the entity for the individual damage suffered by people who prove to be within the set of facts analyzed in the action.  The defendant was convicted of crimes such as rape, rape of vulnerable persons, and sexual assault by fraud.

In all, he came to answer 16 complaints involving sexual crimes, in addition to two other lawsuits: one for irregular possession of firearms and the other for crime against consumer relations, later filed.  Currently, in addition to convictions for sexual crimes, he holds a definitive sentence for illegal possession of a weapon.

The victims will be able to search the compensation for material and moral damages individually.  According to the decision, applications should be submitted in winding-up proceedings, within five years, in the Juízo de Abadiânia or at the place of residence of interested parties and interested parties.  In each case, it will be necessary to verify the occurrence of the episode, the condition of victim, the relationship between the abuse and the activities carried out by the entity and the extent of the material damage.

The Court also confirmed the injunction requested by the MP-GO and maintained the unavailability of the Farm Agropastoril Dom Inácio, registered in the Cartório de Registro de Imóveis de Anápolis.  The R$ 20 million related to collective moral damage will have its destination defined later, in a specific stage of the process.

OTHER CONVICTIONS

In May of this year, João de Deus saw the sum of his convictions for sexual crimes fall from almost 480 years in prison in first instance to 211 years and 1 month after the trial of appeals by the Court of Justice of Goiás (TJ-GO).  The reduction occurred after decisions that recognized statute of limitations, lapse of right of the right of representation, filings and revisions of the sentences applied initially, in addition to the acceptance of theses presented by the defense.

Since 2021, he has been serving house arrest in Annapolis, about 55 kilometers from Goiânia.  The measure was granted due to advanced age and health conditions.  He's forbidden to approach Abadiania, where he founded the Casa Dom Inácio de Loyola, and the victims.  According to Public Prosecutor's Office of Goiás, there was an attempt for him to remain in a common prison regime.

"The MP tried everything to get him to serve his time in prison.  Since we couldn't, we sought maximum protection to prevent him from having contact with potential victims.  As a matter of age, he got house arrest.  This brings indignation to the victims who trusted the system," said prosecutor Luciano Meireles.

Penalties were reduced after the process was re-examined by the higher instances.  Part of the convictions had reduced prison time, while others were annulled or had extinct punitiveness.

In some cases, Justice has recognized the lapse of right of the right of representation, when the victim does not formalize the demonstration within the deadline laid down in law.  In others, there was statute of limitations, which prevents the application of the sentence after the passage of the legal deadline.  Archivings and sentencings were also recorded.

Among the most significant cases is a 2023 conviction for rape, sexual rape by fraud and rape of vulnerable persons, whose sentence fell from over 51 years to 9 years of imprisonment.  In another case, which included 56 years and 10 months in prison, there was filing.  Already a conviction of 2022 was reduced by 38 years.

In all, 67 victims formally integrate the processes.  Another 121 people were heard as informants, but had recognized the extinction of punitiveness due to lapse of right or statute of limitations.  João de Deus's defense at the time stated that the reduction of sentences is a consequence of the recognition of procedural flaws pointed out from the beginning.

"I inform you that the reduction of sentences, from 480 years to 214 years, is the technical result of the acceptance by the TJGO of the defense theses that pointed out illegalities defended from the beginning and that are being gradually corrected," said lawyer Anderson Van Gualberto de Mendonça.

RELEMBRE [IN RETROSPECT]

João de Deus gained national and international notoriety by calling "spiritual surgeries" at Casa Dom Inácio de Loyola in Abadiania (GO), where he received thousands of people in search of spiritual healing.  The complaints came to the public in 2018, after TV Globo's Conversation with Bial program, displaying interviews with ten women who reported sexual abuse committed during spiritual care.  After the repercussion, dozens of other victims sought the MP-GO, turning the case into one of the most emblematic of sexual violence in the country.

According to prosecutor Luciano Meireles, most of the victims were between 25 and 30 years old, although there were women of different ages.  He reported that many were afraid to report for fear of family reaction or public exposure.  "Many victims asked me if they would have to be heard again, and asked the Justice Officer not to come to their house, so that the father or husband would not know," he said.
  

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In one of this blogger's articles about John of God, I commented:

What is currently happening to João is a reminder that in the court of public opinion, journalists—and law enforcement officers, for that matter—can become both jury and judge through selecting the scope of what news is relevant for promulgation.
   
   
Other articles have profiled the contemporary cases of another Brazilian trance healer Rubens de Faria, Jr. (1, 2, 3, 4) and that of UK trance channeler spiritual healer Ray Brown.

In retrospect, the inclusion of the comment from channeled communicator 'Fletcher' through Arthur Ford as quoted in the November 18 blog article is something to consider in light of the role of the media in relation to all that has recently occurred in the life of John of God:

You must remember that every person that comes with revelation that threatens the selfish interests of people entrenched in anything on earth is going to be persecuted. But we know here that when a person burns another at the stake, or crucifies him or hangs him, it is because unconsciously the spirit within him is telling him that the person he is crucifying is right. But he cannot afford to admit that because he has accepted the persecutor—the hangman—the crucifier—as maintaining traditional beliefs.

And so whenever you find anyone persecuting another person you know that the one who is persecuting is doing it in order to keep himself from admitting the truth. And he is killing the one who threatens his security, because the inquisitor is always unsure. He is guilty and his insecurity drives him to a frenzy — that is why you have such hatred, such strife on earth today. People in vast numbers are clinging to things which they no longer believe. But they have not been willing to listen. Therefore, in their ignorance, they destroy the secure person who threatens their security.  (article)

    

a photo from Gail Thackray's Spiritual Journeys: Visiting John of God: "Radiating energy after seeing John of God"

 
 

Here are my two X reply posts to those by Russell Brand @rustyrockets regarding the subject of UFOlogy.

 

 

 

11/10/26 Update X Post: 

 

 

 

 

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