The point I was trying to make is that either way, hypothetically, he has nothing to lose. If he chose to take the day off, then he gets to stay home and get paid anyway for that day. If he choses to work, I would assume that since it is a "holiday" he would get double or triple pay.
Why not stand up for what you do not believe in, work the day, and get paid double anyway, especially since it is not a government mandated holiday so to speak. It is not like Thanksgiving or Christmas, where the government shuts down their offices, banks close and mailman don't deliver mail.
Religion is only convenient when it benefits one, that is the point..