Short answer: Federal and Missouri law forbid most employers from firing, refusing to hire, demoting, or harassing you because of your religion, and require them to accommodate your religious practice unless it would impose a substantial cost on the business. The deadlines are short: in Missouri, a charge must usually be filed within 180 days to keep your state-law claim. If you think you were treated differently because of your faith, talk to a lawyer before the clock runs.
Talk it through with a lawyer. The first consultation—30 minutes, by phone or Zoom—is free for new clients. Book a free consultation or call 816-398-8305. When you book, send only your name, how to reach you, the names of the other people or organizations involved, and a sentence about the kind of help you need, so we can check for conflicts first.
The deadlines
Religious discrimination claims are lost more often to the calendar than on the merits. Count from the date of the decision—the firing, the denial, the discipline—not from the date you got around to asking about it.
| Claim | Where it starts | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri Human Rights Act | Verified complaint with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights | 180 days from the act. §213.075, RSMo. |
| Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (federal) | Charge with the EEOC (Missouri filings are usually dual-filed) | 300 days from the act in Missouri |
| Federal employees | Contact an agency EEO counselor | 45 days from the act |
| Lawsuit after a Missouri right-to-sue letter | Circuit court | 90 days from the letter, and no later than two years after the act. §213.111, RSMo. |
Each separate decision usually starts its own clock. A pattern of harassment is treated differently, so even older incidents may still matter. That is a question to ask a lawyer, not to guess at.
What counts as religious discrimination at work
- Firing, refusing to hire, demoting, or disciplining you because of your religion, your lack of religion, or a religion your employer assumes you hold.
- Refusing a reasonable accommodation. Common requests include:
- a schedule change for the Sabbath or a holy day;
- religious dress, head coverings, or grooming;
- time and a place for prayer;
- an exemption from a vaccine, test, or other requirement that conflicts with your faith;
- a pass on a task or a statement that violates your conscience.
- Harassment: mockery, slurs, or pressure about your faith that is severe or frequent enough to change the conditions of your job.
- Pressure to take part in religion, or to abandon it, as a condition of keeping your job.
- Retaliation for opposing religious discrimination, or for helping someone else who did.
The law changed in your favor in 2023
For decades, many courts let employers refuse an accommodation if it cost them anything more than a trifle. In Groff v. DeJoy, 600 U.S. 447 (2023), the Supreme Court rejected that rule. An employer must now show that the accommodation would result in substantial increased costs in relation to the conduct of its particular business. Inconvenience, or co-workers’ dislike of your faith, is not enough.
Many employers still use accommodation forms and policies written under the old rule. If you were denied before or after 2023 on the theory that any burden was too much, that denial deserves a second look.
Your belief has to be sincere, not orthodox
You do not need to belong to a church, follow your denomination’s official position, or be consistent with every other believer. The question is whether your belief is religious and sincerely held. In Thomas v. Review Board, 450 U.S. 707 (1981), the Supreme Court protected a worker whose fellow believer reached a different conclusion about the same job. Sincerity is not consistency. An employer that demands proof of membership, a pastor’s letter, or a denomination’s endorsement may be asking for more than the law requires.
How to ask for an accommodation
- Put it in writing. Say that the request is religious, what your belief requires, and what conflicts with it.
- Propose a solution: a shift swap, a different task, a change in dress code, a testing alternative.
- Answer reasonable questions honestly, and keep copies of everything you send and receive.
- Don’t resign over a denial without advice. Quitting can make a claim harder to prove.
In this circuit, an accommodation request by itself may not count as “opposition” protected against retaliation. EEOC v. North Memorial Health Care, 908 F.3d 1098 (8th Cir. 2018). How the request and any later complaint are worded can matter. That is one reason to get advice early.
When the government is the one discriminating
If a government agency, school, or official—rather than your employer—treated you worse because of your faith, different laws apply, including the First Amendment and Missouri’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. See Religious liberty lawyer. Government employees may have claims under both.
If your employer is a religious organization
The Missouri Human Rights Act does not cover employers owned or operated by religious organizations. §213.010, RSMo. Federal law lets religious employers prefer members of their own faith, and the ministerial exception bars most claims by ministers. Other claims may remain. These cases turn on the details.
Why talk to us
- Religious liberty is our practice, not a sideline. We have represented employees before the Missouri Commission on Human Rights and the EEOC, and religious organizations in court, including the U.S. Supreme Court.
- We understand the belief, not just the statute. Jon has written about religious objections to vaccines and why sincerity is not consistency. Explaining a belief to an employer, an agency, or a judge is often the case.
- We move quickly on deadlines. If your 180 days are running, tell us when you book.
Frequently asked questions
Can my employer fire me because of my religion? Generally no. Title VII covers employers with 15 or more employees, and the Missouri Human Rights Act covers most employers with six or more employees in Missouri. Religious employers have special rules.
Do I have to belong to a church to be protected? No. The law protects sincerely held religious beliefs, including beliefs your denomination does not require and beliefs held by people with no denomination.
How long do I have to file a religious discrimination claim in Missouri? Usually 180 days from the act to keep a Missouri Human Rights Act claim, and 300 days for a federal charge with the EEOC. Federal employees must contact an EEO counselor within 45 days.
Does my employer have to accommodate my religion? Yes, unless the accommodation would impose substantial increased costs on its business. Groff v. DeJoy, 600 U.S. 447 (2023). Co-workers’ objections to your religion are not a hardship.
Do I need a lawyer to file a charge? No, but the charge sets the boundaries of any later lawsuit. A claim left out of the charge, or described too narrowly, may be lost.
Treated differently because of your faith? Book a free consultation or call 816-398-8305. Here is what happens next:
- A free 30-minute call for new clients, by phone or Zoom, to understand what happened and which deadlines apply. Before the call, send only your name, how to reach you, the names of the other people or organizations involved, and a sentence about the kind of help you need, so we can check for conflicts first.
- A written fee agreement before any billed work begins. Contact us to discuss fees.
- You decide whether to go ahead. Nothing is billed until you do.
Past results afford no guarantee of future results; every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. This page is general information about Missouri and federal law as of November 2026. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Law Offices of Jonathan R. Whitehead LLC, 229 SE Douglas St., Ste. 210, Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64063.
Related: Religious liberty lawyer: when the government discriminates · Church lawyer