Moscow, Russia - An atheist activist has brought a lawsuit to challenge the word "God" in the lyrics to the Russian national anthem, The Moscow Times reported Wednesday.
Alexander Nikonov, head of the Moscow Atheistic Society, has lodged a complaint in the Constitutional Court about the line "The land of my birth protected by God," saying it violates his constitutional rights.
At a news conference Tuesday, Nikonov and his supporters said the lawsuit was meant to highlight how the Russian Orthodox Church was becoming a state religion -- in violation of the Constitution, which separates state and religion.
Nikonov said that an Orthodox church was being built in Interior Ministry facilities at the government's expense and that the new Nov. 4 holiday, People's Unity Day, falls on the same day as an Orthodox holiday.
To bring the complaint to the Constitutional Court, Nikonov first had to be turned down by a local court. He did that by attempting to take a national television station to a Moscow court for playing the national anthem every morning at 6:00.
Five years ago, President Vladimir Putin brought back the Soviet national anthem, but with different lyrics that included the word "God."