A mining company employee who refused to submit to biometric hand scanning because he feared the scanner would imprint him with the “Mark of the Beast,” was awarded $150,000 in damages by a federal jury last week.

Last Thursday a federal jury ruled in favor of Beverly R. Butcher Jr., a general laborer at the Consol Energy/Consolidation Coal Co.’s Mannington mining operations, who said he was forced to retire because of his religious beliefs after refusing to use new biometric technology used to track employee attendance and time.

Butcher refused to use the new technology because he feared the technology was associated with the Antichrist and would imprint him with the “Mark of The Beast,” a reference to a passage from the book of Revelation in the Bible. " Jury awards $150K to employee who refused ‘Mark of the Beast’ hand scanner " [patheos.com] " Retired Consol worker wins religious discrimination suit "

The jury found that Butcher ?had a sincere religious belief that conflicted with an employment requirement? and that Butcher informed his employer of that belief.

The jury also found that Consol Energy failed to provide a reasonable accommodation for Butcher?s beliefs and that it wouldn?t have been an ?undue hardship? to do so.

Phillips indicated to the court that the EEOC will seek a permanent injunction preventing Consol Energy Inc. from engaging in religious discrimination such as was allegedly involved in this case.

The case is U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Consol Energy Inc., case number 1:13-cv-00215, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.