PITTSBURGH — The federal government has filed a religious discrimination lawsuit against Consol Energy over a worker who believed biometric hand scans violated his Christian beliefs.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in a Tuesday press release that Pittsburgh-based Consol began using biometric hand scans in 2012 at a mining operation in Mannington, West Virginia, but Beverly R. Butcher, Jr. felt they violated his Christian beliefs.

The EEOC says Butcher believes there is a connection between hand scans and the Mark of the Beast mentioned in the Bible.

Consol allegedly refused to consider alternatives to biometric scans, and essentially forced Butcher to retire before he intended to.

A Consol spokesman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and a message left at a number listed for Butcher wasn’t returned.