MOESBURG, Ok. —

In a recent 10th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion, Smith v. Local Foods, cashier Jonah Smith was awarded $30,000 and the right to keep his job at Local Foods while honoring his religious convictions. Smith, an Every-Day Adventist, believes that every day is the Sabbath and he has a moral obligation to refrain from work.

According to Local Foods, Smith did not inform them of his religious beliefs against working until he had already been hired. When Smith did not show up at work, his supervisor called, and Smith explained his absence, citing religious reasons. When the manager inquired when he would be able to come to work, Smith replied that he would not be permitted to work “on a day.” Smith was promptly fired.

Smith sued Local Foods for refusing to accommodate his religious beliefs, and claimed that the company had unfairly terminated him for his religious refusal to work. In an unprecedented victory for religious freedom, Smith won the suit, and is now paid the full salary as any other Local Foods cashier.

Incidentally, in the days following the ruling, millions of Americans have rapidly flocked to the Every-Day Adventist Church.