Thousands pay to see used car salesman cancer 'cure'

A Brazilian faith healer and used-car salesman who claims to cure cancer, Aids and blindness by channelling "spirit doctors" is expected to attract thousands of Kiwi followers at a four- day event in Lower Hutt this week.

"John of God", who critics say is a fraud who preys on vulnerable people, won the New Zealand Skeptics Society's Bent Spoon Award last year.



Society spokeswoman Vicki Hyde was unimpressed by what she had seen of John of God's performance, which consisted of "old carnival tricks".

"If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a quack."

Joao Teixeira de Faria, better known as Joao de Deus ("John of God") claims to cure cancer, Aids, blindness, asthma, drug addiction, infertility, psychosis and "spiritual desperation" by channelling 36 "spirit doctors".

John of God's website.