Ryan Coleman from Oregon was hired as a painter at Albany-based Dahled Up Construction in October 2017 and discovered on the job that he was required to attend Christian Bible study as part of his employment.

According to the lawsuit, Coleman told company owner Joel Dahl that the requirement was illegal but Mr Dahl insisted that he go anyway.

The lawsuit said that Coleman obliged for nearly six months in order to keep his job but was fired after telling Dahl he couldn’t go anymore.

Dahl’s lawyer Kent Hickam doesn’t dispute that Dahl requires employees to attend Bible study, but says it’s legal because Dahl pays them to attend.

Dahl himself told The Oregonian that because of his own history with drugs and alcohol, he is a second-chance employer who hires criminals and recovering addicts.

Hickam said about Dahl that the lawsuit “has not shaken his belief in God.”