He wasn't fired for his religion, he was fired for expressing a viewpoint that the governor considered inappropriate. If an appointed member of the Bush administration (say, a Menonite) expressed his view that the Iraq War was immoral (because of his pacifist religion, of course), would that be protected speech? Would Bush be unjustified in firing him?
Look, this guy is not up on employment law--his comment that this is a case of religious discrimination proves it. I applaud your efforts to educate him but I suspect it will be a lost cause.