The state of Assam has banned praying for the sick. Is it religious discrimination?

A few weeks ago, on February 26, in an attempt to stop hucksters from promising miracle cures for all kinds of diseases and taking advantage of gullible people in need of hope, the legislature in the Indian state of Assam passed the “Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024.”

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The stated aim of the bill is to use “science-based knowledge” to “protect human health against the evil and sinister practices… exploiting the innocent people.” In short, the bill bans anyone from performing “magical healing” to treat diseases or disorders, thereby giving people a “false impression” of how they can be cured. It also prevents anyone from promoting those fictional remedies as if they’re legitimate.

Anyone found guilty of breaking the law could face between 1-3 years in jail and a fine of 50,000 rupees (roughly $600 USD) for a first offense. Further offenses could result in a five-year jail sentence and a fine of one lakh (100,000 rupees or about $1,200 USD).

If the goal is to guide sick people toward actual evidence-based medicine, that sounds entirely respectable. This is about consumer protection. In India, especially, plenty of people flock toward folk medicine that offers no actual help instead of seeking out doctors who actually know what they need. By turning to religion or other forms of superstition, patients may be depriving themselves of remedies that could demonstrably help them, all while giving their disease(s) even more time to spread. Even worse, they could be duped by people who simply want their money and have no interest in their well-being.

The problem, however, is that the bill is so broad that the ban on “magical healing” could also apply to plenty of standard Christian practices, including everything from praying for people to get better to more direct forms of faith-healing.

Even though the bill doesn’t mention religion (much less a particular religion), it’s no secret that the ruling party in the state—the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the same Hindu Nationalist party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—wants to punish the practice of Christianity. They also want to prevent Christian missionaries from making any headway; those missionaries frequently use promises of healing as a tool to win converts.

Christianity Today noted the lack of subtlety by one powerful government official despite him couching it under the guise of religious freedom:

“We want to curb evangelism in Assam, so in that direction, the banning of healing … will be a very, very important milestone,” said Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister of Assam.

…

“Healing is a very, very dicey subject, which is used to convert tribal people,” said Sarma. “We are going to pilot [this bill], because we believe that religious status quo is very important. Whoever is Muslim, let them be Muslims; whoever is Christian, let them be Christians; whoever is Hindu, let them be Hindus, so there can be a proper balance in our state.”

Certainly, promises of “healing” can be used toward that end. But it’s also true that many Christians pray for healing because they believe God will act on their request. It’s not a con. They’re just misguided.

So what happens if someone is sick and their church collectively prays for them to get better? That act is not anti-medicine, per se, but it does suggest God plays a role in healing.

Would that violate the law? It sure sounds like it.

According to the [Assam Christian Forum’s] spokesman Allen Brooks, leaders are concerned that any prayer that may follow healing could be perceived as “a motive to convert the other person to Christianity,” in which case “everybody will go to jail.”

It doesn’t help that the bill also gives law enforcement officials the power to enter any location (any church) where there’s suspicion of healing taking place and “seize” any evidence of non-compliance. That could be a backdoor approach to literal persecution.

It’s also worth mentioning that many sick people don’t always trust western medicine or don’t have the ability (financial or otherwise) to get the help they need. They don’t turn to religion or other forms of superstition because they’re choosing it over things that actually work; they turn to it out of hope or desperation or in addition to actual medicine. As one Indian outlet described it, Christian missionaries often set up “healing camps in remote areas, often far removed from the reach of adequate healthcare facilities.” You can criticize their ineffectiveness all you want, but for people who don’t feel like they have any choice, this can feel like the lifeline they need.

While some groups may promise cures in exchange for conversion, effectively exploiting desperate people, it’s also fair to say many Christians just pray because they believe it’ll help. They’re not taking anyone’s money. They’re not trashing science. They’re not doing anything illegal.

To criminalize that latter kind of faith-based response seems like an obvious overreach of the law. It’s one thing to punish hucksters who use the language of faith to trick people into trusting them, only to take their money (or run up a conversion score) and never fix the problems. It’s another to punish well-meaning religious people who turn to God in the absence of (or in addition to) alternatives. Catholic hospitals, for example, may mix both religion and science. Plenty of missionaries would also argue that their “faith-healing” isn’t a con at all; they genuinely believe it helps. To punish their ignorance is a very slippery slope.

And given how the BJP has suppressed religious freedom for non-Hindus across the subcontinent, the accusations that this bill is anti-Christian rather than pro-consumer aren’t far-fetched. In Assam, specifically, where Christians make up less than 4% of the population, the government has already punished them for proselytizing and removed Christian symbols from Christian schools.

If there’s any silver lining, it’s that the bill explicitly defines “magic healing” and “evil practices” as acts committed by those “with a sinister motive to exploit common people.” Praying for someone to get better is neither “sinister” nor exploitative… but that doesn’t necessarily mean those defenses will hold up in court. The lack of nuance in the bill’s language doesn’t help.

Incidentally, the neighboring state of Nagaland, which has a majority-Christian population, has criticized the Assam bill, with one powerful politician saying it “undermines secularism and targets Christian practices.” Article 25 of India’s Constitution also protects religious freedom. But in a nation where non-Hindus have literally been persecuted, it’s hard not to see this bill as a way to punish Christians under the guise of protecting citizens.