Carl Dykes sued the city of Birmingham, Alabama, claiming it is an illegal endorsement of religion to place on public land a restored statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of smiths and metalworkers. The statue, created in 1904 as part of the Louisiana Purchase Centennial, is one of the largest iron statues in the world, cast as a tribute to Birmingham's iron industry. Dykes, a devout Christian, says he is offended by the placement of the deity in a public park.

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