This week marks a significant setback in a lawsuit filed against the Centers for Disease Control by a woman who claimed that she was fired from her job because of her religious beliefs. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits religious discrimination, which can take many forms.

Religious discrimination in the workplace is defined by a failure to hire or promote based on religion, religious harassment, retaliation, or wrongful termination. This can include discrimination against an employee based on religious dress or forced participation in a religious ritual as a part of employment. In the CDC case, the plaintiff claimed that she was wrongfully terminated for refusing to counsel a woman in a same-sex relationship. The employee allegedly told the client that she was unable to counsel her because of her religious beliefs.

The former employee says she referred the client to another counselor. The CDC claims that they fired the employee because of the manner in which she handled the referral. The record shows that the employee and the CDC discussed the incident and had a disagreement over the best way to handle a religious objection to working with a client. The court rejected her Title VII claim because the CDC offered a reasonable accommodation to her religious beliefs, which the employee rejected. The employee's lawyers said they are still determining the appropriate next steps.

If you believe that you have been a victim of religious discrimination in the workplace, it's important to contact an attorney before taking any action against your employer, including quitting your job.

Source: The Daily Report, "11th circuit rules for CDC in gay counseling case," Feb. 8, 2012.