Exactly, this is why exemption requests under the CRA were and remain very effective. Employers are *required* to accommodate religious beliefs unless they impose an undue hardship on the employer. Period, end of story.

You don't need a note from Pope, to pass some sort of logic test, prove consistency in your beliefs, or even belong to an organized religion. If the employer thinks your request is in bad faith the burden is on them to prove it. In addition, the bar for "undue hardship" on the employer is quite high. There is decades of case law on this.

The problem as Seaquinn notes is that you need to know the law and make your request clearly within the bounds of the law. Quoting Patrick Henry and "don't tread on me" to HR won't work.