Peter Popoff

Peter Popoff ( born July 2, 1946 in Hamburg, Germany ) was an active mainly in the 1980s American television preacher, who claimed, as a "prophet" to stand directly in touch with God and heal through his Spirit to can.

A large part of its revenue came from donations, which he received from people seeking help, mostly elderly and the sick. During his performances in large halls he surprised with it, seemingly arbitrarily to know people from the audience by God by name, and even their diseases. He won over the audience, by the blessing of God promised the callee and freed them from their infirmities. Popoff succeeded, according to James Randi to take his peak of 4.7 million U.S. dollars per month.

Popoffs career as a faith healer ended abruptly when his James Randi proved the use of a non-visible to the public radio receiver. About this Popoff received any information regarding the called people of what he then declared as input God.

In 1987, his organization bankrupt. He then established a business with alleged miracle water, which in turn have the same audience, old and sick people targeted.

The methods of Popoff and other television preachers was satirized in 1992 by the U.S. actor Steve Martin in the film Leap of Faith ( Leap of Faith ).