As mentioned earlier in the thread, Pike having a religion was part of his backstory going back to Disco S2. Indeed, in the original "science vs faith" storyline Harberts and Berg had planned for that season, Pike was meant to be much more religious than he has become now and we would have seen him praying on a regular basis throughout that season. Plus this episode was written and ready to film back in 2023, well before the current real world drama involving Paramount, so this was likely an attempt to incorporate the religious side of Pike's character hinted at previously rather than an attempt to appease That Crowd.