Forgive me if I’ve been whooshed, but is that supposed to be some kind of proof of your knowledge of quantum physics? If so, it’s a piss-poor one. I mean, my cat’s named Eponine, but that doesn’t exactly mean I know much about the works of Victor Hugo, or even about Les Miserables, you know?
As for the OP, I think that it depends on how you define “private.” If you mean that it will never in any way affect anything you do outside the church or your own home, then the answer is obviously no. Your personal system of ethics will affect the decisions you make and the way you act in public. One’s religion might, for instance, prompt one to volunteer at a shelter, or to give money or food to a panhandler. It might lead one to be kind and gentle and forgiving to others who have committed some offense.
If by “private” you mean not deliberately drawing attention to one’s religion in public, then I think that’s quite possible. In most instances, it’s quite possible to follow a belief system without jumping up and down yelling “Look at me! Look at me! I’m a (religion of your choice)!” I have worked with plenty of folks who managed this over the years, from those who simply told interviewers that they were not available to work on certain days (no explanation given or requested), to those who simply said, “Thank you, but I don’t eat meat/pork/catfish/beef,” or “I’d prefer not to take part in that, but thank you for offering.” As long as it didn’t affect job performance, it was a non-issue.
In instances where their beliefs actively interfered with their ability to do a given job, one of four things happened. Either a) they anticipated such situations and did not apply for those jobs b)they discussed the matter with the interviewer before accepting those jobs and worked something out c)they discussed it with the interviewer and were not offered the job or d)they got fired for performance-related reasons.
After all, an ER doc doesn’t get to pick and choose which patients he treats. If you’re unwilling to treat certain patients, you can’t do the job, and your ass is out the door. A firefighter doesn’t get to pick and choose which fires he puts out. If you’re unwilling to put out fires at certain places, you can’t do the job, and your ass is out the door. And a cop doesn’t get to pick and choose which citizens he protects. If you’re unwilling to protect certain citizens, you can’t do the job, and your ass is out the door. It doesn’t matter why you aren’t willing to do the job you were hired for, the fact that you aren’t doing it is adequate grounds for firing.
I don’t know the full story about the Jehovah’s Witness who was fired after not singing to a customer, so I can’t really comment on it. After all, it’s perfectly possible that she got mad and threw a full plate at the manager’s head when he told her to go sing or had some other perfectly valid grounds for dismissal.
I cannot imagine a catering person not making sure there were vegetarian options at a company function, given the growing number of vegetarians in the country. It’s not always a religious thing, either, as I know several atheist veggies, and one or two who just don’t digest meat well and a few who eat veggie because they’re trying to lose a little weight.
As for the “energy work” in your class, I suspect that, since the curriculum didn’t include it, your particpation (or not) wouldn’t have come up in the first place. And if it did, all you really would have had to say was that you felt uncomfortable participating and the matter would likely have been dropped.
There’s no need to go around saying, “Oh, I can’t do that because I’m a [insert religion].” It’s really quite enough to just say, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” If someone presses for an explanation, then you can bring up your religion. Before that point, it’s pretty much unnecessary.