unfortunately my state is a "fire at will" state. No excuse needed.
This is somewhat true. In Indiana (and all other "at will" states), you can fire an employee for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason whatsoever. BUT, you cannot fire an employee for an illegal reason.
For example:
Good reason: He is a lazy bum.
Bad reason: He is the best employee I have, but he is a Chicago Cubs fan.
No reason: I feel like a change.
Illegal reason: He is black, a man (or woman), a union supporter, or due to his religious beliefs (or other illegal reason).
There is not enough information to conclude that he was fired due to religion, but IF that was the case, he cannot be fired on that basis even in an "at will" employment state such as Indiana.
That said, there is a highly complex body of law and confusing burdens of proof in proving that an employee was fired for an illegal reason.
