query: Las Vegas's population growth has not accelerated.

pos: Las Vegas Las Vegas ( -LSB- lɑːs_ˈveɪɡəs -RSB- , Spanish for `` The Meadows '' ) , officially the City of Las Vegas and often known simply as Vegas , is the 28th-most populated city in the United States , the most populated city in the state of Nevada , and the county seat of Clark County . The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert . Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city known primarily for its gambling , shopping , fine dining , entertainment , and nightlife . It is the leading financial , commercial , and cultural center for Nevada .   The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World , and is famous for its mega casino -- hotels and associated activities . It is a top three destination in the United States for business conventions and a global leader in the hospitality industry , claiming more AAA Five Diamond hotels than any city in the world . Today , Las Vegas annually ranks as one of the world 's most visited tourist destinations . The city 's tolerance for numerous forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City , and has made Las Vegas a popular setting for literature , films , television programs , and music videos .   Las Vegas was settled in 1905 and officially incorporated in 1911 . At the close of the 20th century , it was the most populated American city founded within that century ( a similar distinction earned by Chicago in the 1800s ) . Population growth has accelerated since the 1960s , and between 1990 and 2000 the population nearly doubled , increasing by 85.2 % . Rapid growth has continued into the 21st century , and according to a 2013 estimate , the population is 603,488 with a regional population of 2,027,828 .   `` Las Vegas '' is often used to describe areas beyond official city limits -- especially the areas on and near the Las Vegas Strip , which is actually located within the unincorporated communities of Paradise , Winchester , and Enterprise .

neg: The Mall at Sierra Vista The Mall at Sierra Vista is an indoor shopping center located in Sierra Vista , Arizona , United States owned and managed by Rouse Properties , one of the largest mall owners in the United States . It was constructed during the late 1990s . Sierra Vista is one of the fastest growing communities in Arizona and the major population center for southeastern Arizona . The developers had hoped to market to the growing community , which had no other malls . It was the first major mall to be built in southeastern Arizona , with 400000 sqft of retail space .   During the mall 's opening months , around October 1999 , many shoppers expressed surprise at how small the mall was : although it appeared quite large from the outside , much of the space was taken by the mall 's two anchor stores , Dillard 's and Sears , leaving little room for the mall 's single main corridor . Many local residents began calling the Mall `` The Hall '' or `` The Small '' , because most of the stores were built along just this one relatively short passage of corridor .   Though many stores have passed through the mall , the majority of the store slots are currently full . Additionally , stores , eating establishments , a bank and hotel have opened around the perimeter of the mall ; these include : Applebee 's , Wells Fargo , Jack in the Box , Best Buy , Home Depot , Texas Roadhouse and Fairfield Inn .   This regional mall serves a large portion of southeastern Arizona and northern parts of the Mexican state of Sonora . A recent survey indicated that as much as 30 % of the mall 's shoppers come from Sonora , traveling as far away as Nacozari and Cumpas , 120 mi south of the border , just to shop there .   In addition to shopping , the Mall at Sierra Vista hosts the annual Festival of Trees , the Festival of Giving , and an annual Car Show for the Boys and Girls Club . The Mall merits a mention in Ethel Jackson Price 's 2003 book , Sierra Vista : a Young City with a Past .

neg: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene ( -LSB- kɔər_dəˈleɪn -RSB- ) is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County , Idaho , United States . It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2010 census , the population of Coeur d'Alene was 44,137 . The city is a satellite city of Spokane , which is located about 30 mi to the west , in the state of Washington . The two cities are the key components of the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene Combined Statistical Area , of which Coeur d'Alene is the third largest city ( after Spokane and its largest suburb , Spokane Valley ) . Coeur d'Alene is the largest city in northern Idaho Panhandle . The city is situated on the north shore of Lake Coeur d'Alene , 25 mi in length . Locally , Coeur d'Alene is known as the `` Lake City , '' or simply called by its initials : `` CDA '' .   The city of Coeur d'Alene has grown significantly in recent years , in part because of a substantial increase in tourism , encouraged by several resorts in the area . Broadcaster and media figure Barbara Walters called the city `` a little slice of Heaven '' and included it in her list of most fascinating places to visit . On November 28 , 2007 , Good Morning America broadcast the city 's Christmas lighting ceremony because its display is among the largest in the United States . The Coeur d'Alene Resort takes up a prominent portion of the city 's downtown . It is also near two major ski resorts : Silver Mountain Resort to the east in Kellogg , and Schweitzer Mountain Ski Resort to the north in Sandpoint .   The city is named after the Coeur d'Alene People , a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans who lived along the rivers and lakes of the region , in a territory of 5,500 sqmi extending into Washington and Montana . They were first encountered by French fur traders in the late 18th and early 19th century , who referred to them as Cœur d'Alène , meaning `` heart of an awl , '' reflecting their experience of the tribal traders as tough businessmen , `` sharp-hearted '' or `` shrewd '' .

neg: History of Las Vegas This history of Las Vegas covers both the city of Las Vegas , Nevada , and the Las Vegas Valley .   The name Las Vegas was given to the area in 1829 by an Australian scout named Richard , a member of the Antonio Armijo trading party that was traveling to Los Angeles , and stopped for water there while heading north and west on the Old Spanish Trail from New Mexico . At that time , several parts of the valley contained artesian wells surrounded by extensive green areas ; Las Vegas means the meadows in Spanish . The flows from the wells fed the Las Vegas Wash , which runs to the Colorado River .

neg: Seal of Nevada The Great Seal of the State of Nevada is derived from the Seal of the Territory of Nevada . As Nevada prepared for statehood in 1864 , its Constitutional Convention began to formalize the features of the state 's official seel . Nevada was admitted as a state on October 31 , 1864 by proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln . On February 24 , 1866 , the motto `` Volens et Potens '' ( `` Willing and Able '' ) was replaced by `` All for Our Country '' . The design of the seal was formalized , and Nevada 's mineral resources are featured with a silver miner and his team moving a carload of ore from a mountain in the foreground . A quartz mill stands before another mountain . Transportation and communication are symbolized by a train steaming across the background , with telegraph poles spanning the distance . Agriculture is represented by a sheaf of wheat , a sickle , and a plow in the foreground . Nevada 's natural environment is symbolized by a brilliant sun rising over snow-capped peaks . The inner circle of the seal carries the motto `` All for Our Country '' , and Nevada 's entry into the Union as the 36th state is shown with 36 stars completing the inner ring . The perimeter of the seal proclaims `` The Great Seal of the State of Nevada '' . Mark Twain was said to have convinced the designer to make the two trails of smoke blow in opposite directions as a prank , which was later rectified when the mistake was realized .

neg: Carolyn Goodman (politician) Carolyn Goldmark Goodman ( born March 25 , 1939 ) is an American politician . She has been the mayor of Las Vegas , Nevada since 2011 . She is the wife of former mayor and attorney Oscar Goodman , and the second female mayor of Las Vegas .   She earned a bachelor 's degree in anthropology from Bryn Mawr College in 1961 . Carolyn and Oscar Goodman moved to Las Vegas from Philadelphia in 1964 . She graduated the University of Nevada , Las Vegas in 1973 with a master 's degree in counseling .

neg: Clark County Shooting Complex The Clark County Shooting Complex , located on the northern outskirts of Las Vegas , Nevada , is the largest shooting facility in the United States . The 2900 acre park is being built in stages by Clark County , Nevada . At full build out is anticipated that only 900 acre will be developed with the rest of the site serving as a buffer for the surrounding community . The park is located at the northern end of Decatur Blvd in unincorporated Clark County , just north of the City of Las Vegas boundary .

neg: Demographics of Alaska As of 2005 , Alaska has an estimated population of 663,661 , which is an increase of 5,906 , or 0.9 % , from the prior year and an increase of 36,730 , or 5.9 % , since the year 2000 . This includes a natural increase since the last census of 36,590 people ( 53,132 births minus 16,542 deaths ) , and an increase due to net migration of 1,181 people into the state . Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 5,800 people , and migration within the country produced a net loss of 4,619 people . More than half of the state 's population lives in Anchorage , Juneau and Fairbanks , with two-fifths in Anchorage alone . As of 1 January 2012 Alaska had a population of 731,449 , and its 2017 population is estimated at 739,818 .   With a population of 710,231 , according to the 2010 U.S. census , Alaska is the 48th most populous and least densely populated state .   For purposes of the federal census , the state is divided into artificial divisions defined geographically by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only .   The center of population of Alaska is located approximately 64.37 km east of Anchorage at 61.399882 N. latitude , -148.873973 W. longitude . In 2006 , Alaska had a larger percentage of tobacco smokers than the national average , with 24 % of Alaskan adults smoking .

neg: List of tallest buildings in Las Vegas The city of Las Vegas , Nevada and its surrounding unincorporated communities in the Las Vegas Valley are the sites of more than 160 high-rises , 42 of which stand taller than 400 ft. The tallest structure in the city is the Stratosphere Tower , which rises 1149 ft just north of the Las Vegas Strip . The tower is also the tallest observation tower in the United States . Since the Stratosphere Tower is not fully habitable , however , it is not considered a building . The tallest building in Las Vegas is the Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas , which rises 735 ft and was topped out in November 2008 . This building , however , is currently on hold . The tallest completed building in the city is the 52-story Palazzo , which rises 642 ft and was completed in 2007 .   The history of skyscrapers in Las Vegas began with the 1954 completion of the Castaways Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas ; the 216 ft structure stood as the tallest building in the city until 1961 , and was demolished in 2006 . Beginning with the completion of the Diamond of the Dunes Tower in 1961 , high-rise hotels began to become more concentrated on the Las Vegas Strip . The first high-rise hotel and casino resort to rise higher than 492 ft was the 529 ft New York-New York Hotel & Casino , completed in 1997 . Las Vegas entered into a skyscraper-building boom in the late 1990s that has continued to the present ; of the city 's 40 tallest skyscrapers , 39 were completed after 1997 . As of 2012 , the skyline of Las Vegas is ranked 66th in the world and 18th in the United States with 176 completed high-rises .   In what is being dubbed a `` Manhattanization wave '' , there are over 30 skyscrapers that are proposed , approved or under construction in the city that are planned to rise over 400 ft in height . The tallest building approved for the city is the World Jewelry Center , which is planned for construction in Downtown Las Vegas . The 815 ft tower is part of a proposal to construct a hub for the world 's jewelry industry , across from World Market Center Las Vegas . The tallest building under construction in Las Vegas is the Fontainebleau Resort Las Vegas , which has also been the tallest building in the city since its topping out in November 2008 ; construction on the building was suspended in mid-2009 and is currently on hold under owner Carl Icahn .  __ TOC __

neg: List of cities in Nevada Nevada is a state located in the Western United States . According to the 2010 United States Census , Nevada is the 36th most populous state with inhabitants but the 7th largest by land area spanning 109781.18 sqmi of land . Nevada is divided into 17 counties and contains 19 incorporated municipalities . Nevada 's incorporated municipalities cover only of the state 's land mass but are home to of its population .   Incorporated places in the state are legally described as cities , except for Carson City , which has no legal description . To incorporate , a petition for incorporation can be made to the board of county commissioners , who consider numerous geographic , demographic , and economic factors . Cities are categorized by population for the purpose of determining the number of wards and council election structure as well as the number of city clerks : cities with 50,000 or more inhabitants are population category one , cities with 5,000 or more but less than 50,000 inhabitants are population category two , and cities having less than 5,000 inhabitants are population category three .   The largest municipality by population in Nevada is Las Vegas with 583,756 residents , and the smallest municipality by population is Caliente with 1,130 residents . The largest municipality by land area is Boulder City which spans 208.52 mi2 , while Lovelock is the smallest at 0.85 mi2 .

neg: Crime in Washington, D.C. Crime in Washington , D.C. , is directly related to the city 's changing demographics , geography , and unique criminal justice system . The District 's population reached a peak of 982,178 in 1950 . However , shortly thereafter , the city began losing residents and by 1980 Washington had lost one-quarter of its population . The population loss to the suburbs also created a new demographic pattern , which divided affluent neighborhoods west of Rock Creek Park from more crime-ridden and blighted areas to the east .   Despite being the headquarters of multiple federal law enforcement agencies , such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) and United States Drug Enforcement Administration ( DEA ) , the nationwide crack epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s greatly affected the city and led to large increases in crime . The number of homicides in Washington peaked in 1991 at 897 ( a rate of nearly 60.8 homicides per 100,000 residents ) , and the city eventually became known as the `` murder capital '' of the United States .   The crime rate started to fall in the mid-1990s as the crack cocaine epidemic gave way to economic revitalization projects . Gentrification efforts have also started to transform the demographics of distressed neighborhoods , recently leading to the first rise in the District 's population in 60 years .   By the mid-2000s , crime rates in Washington dropped to their lowest levels in over 20 years . As in many major cities , crime remains a significant factor in D.C. , especially in the city 's northwestern neighborhoods , which tend to be more affluent , draw more tourists , and have more vibrant nightlife . Violent crime also remains a problem in Ward 8 , which has the city 's highest concentration of poverty .

neg: Panorama Towers Panorama Towers is a high-rise residential condominium complex located in Paradise , Nevada . Developed by Laurence Hallier and Andrew Sasson , the $ 600 million aqua-blue glass 635-unit complex sits on 8.5 acres on Dean Martin Drive and is centrally located across from the Las Vegas Strip 1/4 mile from CityCenter .   The complex consists of two towers , completed in 2006 and 2007 . A third tower was completed in 2008 , and was later rebranded as The Martin in 2011 . A fourth tower had been planned , but was never built . With the opening of Tower I in 2006 , the 420 ft structure was the 16th tallest in Las Vegas Valley at the time of construction and is currently ranked 35th along with the Marriott 's Grand Chateau .

neg: Urban area An urban area is a human settlement with high population density and infrastructure of built environment . Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities , towns , conurbations or suburbs . In urbanism , the term contrasts to rural areas such as villages and hamlets and in urban sociology or urban anthropology it contrasts with natural environment . The creation of early predecessors of urban areas during the urban revolution led to the creation of human civilization with modern urban planning , which along with other human activities such as exploitation of natural resources leads to human impact on the environment .   The world 's urban population in 1950 of just 746 million has increased to 3.9 billion in the decades since . In 2009 , the number of people living in urban areas ( 3.42 billion ) surpassed the number living in rural areas ( 3.41 billion ) and since then the world has become more urban than rural . This was the first time that the majority of the world 's population lived in a city . In 2014 there were 7.25 billion people living on the planet , of which the global urban population comprised 3.9 billion . The Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs at that time predicted the urban population would grow to 6.4 billion by 2050 , with 37 % of that growth to come from three countries : China , India and Nigeria .   Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization . Urban areas are measured for various purposes , including analyzing population density and urban sprawl .   Unlike an urban area , a metropolitan area includes not only the urban area , but also satellite cities plus intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city , typically by employment ties through commuting , with the urban core city being the primary labor market .

neg: Christian Schoyen Christian Schoyen ( born February 13 , 1966 ) is a headhunter , expert in human behavior and futurist with speciality in human behavior futurology . He has since 1997 been the CEO for a successful international headhunting company that he founded , with offices in the U.S. and Europe .   On October 7 , 2015 Christian received the honorary award ; ` Recognition of Your Contribution to the Community '  from Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman and the City Council as the founder for Heroes United and his work in Sierra Oeste .   On November 14 , 2014 the film Vegas Vikings by Christian Schoyen was announced as the Best Nevada Film for 2014 by the Nevada International Film Festival , then on May 1 , 2015 as winner of the 2015 Golden Palm Award at Mexico International Film Festival and on May 5 , 2015 as winner of the Golden Kahuna Award at Honolulu Film Awards . The Vegas Vikings film documents the activities conducted in Las Vegas over 21 field days by Schoyen , taken place over a time period of two years , starting with Introduction of the Leif Erikson Day and ending with the Hometown Heroes United project in Sierra Oeste , which resulted in violent crime being reduced with 75 % . Christian said in an interview with Las Vegas Review Journal ; '' Making the community safer helped bring the neighborhood together . To us , it 's been exciting that we 've been able to change a situation that 's been so bleak . '' In an interview with Romerikes Blad , Schoyen said ; `` The success we achieved in Sierra Oeste means a lot to not just Nevada and Las Vegas , but also to the rest of America , as we through this collaborative initiative have proven what is possible , and that our blue-print can be applied to also other US cities . ``   On December 19 , 2013 the parade and block party for the children of Sierra Oeste took place , launching the initiative of Hometown Heroes United , a group with Christian Schoyen as the project director , formed by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Hometown Heroes to fight crime and improve the conditions for children in poverty . The block party which had Christmas music , free food , gifts and a drawing contest gathered hundreds of children in Sierra Oeste , which is considered to be the most dangerous place to live in Las Vegas . Over several weeks Christian and others involved in the project knocked on every door to get to know the families and better understand what troubles the community . Christian said in an interview with Las Vegas Review Journal ; '' We want to reduce crime and reach out to the children . We hope to bring a strong community spirit to the area , something that is vital for children to thrive and to break the cycle of violence that has plagued the neighborhood for years and hope we can alter that life path . Transforming a neighborhood known to many as the `` baby ghetto '' wo n't be easy . A drastic situation needs drastic measures . ''   On October 8 , 2013 the Hometown Heroes Leif Erikson Awards took place at South Point Hotel , Casino & Spa in Las Vegas hosted by Christian Schoyen with awards presented by Las Vegas Mayor Pro Tem Stavros Anthony , where the good deeds of nine Nevadans where recognized with the Hometown Heroes Leif Erikson Award and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department with the Leif Erikson `` Viking of honor '' lifetime award . The recipients have been featured on the `` Hometown Heroes '' television show appearing on KCLV Channel 2 . The celebration of the modern day Vikings of Las Vegas was done in conjunction with the 50-year celebration of when Leif Erikson Day was first suggested in Congress as a national observance .   On April 29 , 2013 Hometown Heroes ( talk show ) , hosted by Christian , which spotlights individuals in the Las Vegas community , who have made a difference in others ' lives premiered on KCLV Channel 2 . Christian said in an interview with Las Vegas Review Journal ; `` I 'm out to raise the social consciousness of the community by highlighting those who help others '' . I found the same patterns in every person I interviewed for the show . They all had a mental fortitude that shrugged off temporary setbacks to continue moving forward . They saw their work not as a chore , but as their passion . With any recognition , they were quick to deflect the praise and characterize it as a team effort . They were meant to be here in Las Vegas . They 're high-energy , driven people who feel a responsibility to help others . '' `` I hope by showcasing people who have helped others , `` Hometown Heroes '' could inspire more people to become role models .   On October 3 , 2012 Christian accepted from Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman on behalf of the Vegas Viking Lodge . of Sons of Norway and the more than 50,000 Scandinavians in Las Vegas proclamation of October 9 being the official Leif Erikson Day throughout the city . The ceremony took place at City Hall and was televised live on KCLV Channel 2 . To nurture the core Viking traits in children growing up in Las Vegas represented by Leif Erikson 's legacy a drawing competition sponsored by Vegas Viking lodge was in conjunction with the day announced . The lodge works with the Clark County School District and Christian said in an interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal ; `` We can influence young minds , especially when they 're the most open ( under age 12 ) as eighty-five percent of your conditioning is fixed before you 're 12 . We want to further the understanding of what it meant to be a Viking and how that approach to life can apply to their lives . The Vikings represent role models , and we believe everybody needs role models . What stops people is fear ; if you can overcome fear , your potential as a human being is much greater ; it can open doors . ''   In 2011 , Christian 's futuring project ; `` Las Vegas 2020 '' was selected for presentation at World Future Society international Conference in Vancouver , Canada . The project which was done in conjunction with futurist Nils Rasmussen introduced a new model for city government , together with a vision of how to ensure optimal allocation of resources to provide a higher quality of life for the citizens of Las Vegas .   He has written several books , this including ; Can People Change ? - When trapped in a bubble , which has its basis in his 17-year study in human behavior and predictability . His docudrama Living the Dream linking childhood conditioning to adulthood plays an important part of his behavior study . Christian is also the author of the US bestselling book for companies on how to recruit ; Secrets of the Executive Search Experts , The Hidden Job Market : Secrets of an International Headhunter , Recruitment in the European Economic Area ( EEA ) : Forecast of Future Labour Market ( The Norwegian Government Research Council / ISBN 978-1-4675-2151-2 ) , How to Get the Job : A Handbook for International Job Seekers and A Second Life : Your Second Chance at Life .   Christian graduated with a BBA from Pacific Lutheran University , Tacoma , WA in 1991 and conducted his ethnic studies at California State University , Northridge .

neg: Downtown Grand The Downtown Grand Las Vegas , formerly the Lady Luck Hotel & Casino , is a hotel and casino in Downtown Las Vegas , Nevada , owned by the CIM Group and operated by Fifth Street Gaming . The Downtown Grand is the centerpiece of Downtown3rd , a new neighborhood and entertainment district under development in downtown Las Vegas .

neg: Symphony Park Symphony Park is a 61-acre site situated in downtown Las Vegas . The downtown area is located just a few miles north of the Las Vegas Strip and centrally within the Las Vegas Valley .   Once housing a Union Pacific rail yard , Symphony Park currently is being master developed for mixed-use by the city of Las Vegas , which is also the landowner . Symphony Park is home to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health , Smith Center for the Performing Arts and the Discovery Children 's Museum .

neg: Non-Hispanic whites Non-Hispanic whites or whites not of Hispanic or Latino origin or `` Anglo '' '' ' , '' are people in the United States who , as defined by the Census Bureau , are considered racially white and are not of Hispanic or Latino origin/ethnicity . Non-Hispanic whites are a subcategory of white Americans , the other being white Hispanic and Latino Americans .   Although generally all nations in Europe have contributed to the white population through emigration to Northern America in the last few centuries , the majority of non-Hispanic whites trace their origins to Northwestern Europe while other major sources originate in Southern and Eastern Europe ; German , Irish , and English ancestries are the most common .   In the United States , this population was first derived from English ( and , to a lesser degree , French ) settlement of the Americas , as well as settlement by other Europeans such as the Germans and Dutch that began in the 17th century ( see History of the United States ) . Continued growth since the early 19th century is attributed to sustained very high birth rates alongside relatively low death rates among settlers and natives alike as well as periodically massive immigration from European countries , especially Germany , Ireland , England , Spain , Greece , Sweden and Norway , as well as Poland , Russia , and many more countries . In 2011 , for the first time in U.S. history , non-Hispanic whites accounted for under half of the births in the country , with 49.6 % of total births . At 197.2 million in 2012 , non-Hispanic whites comprise 62.8 % of the total U.S. population .

neg: Nevada Assembly The Nevada Assembly is the lower house of the Nevada Legislature , the state legislature of the US state of Nevada . The body consists of 42 members , elected to two-year terms from single-member districts . Each Assembly district contained approximately 64,299 people as of the 2010 census . Term limits , limiting assembly members to six 2-year terms ( 12 years ) , took effect in 2010 . Twelve members of the Assembly were termed out with the 2010 election serving their last legislative session in 2011 .   The Assembly met at the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City until 1971 , when a separate Legislative Building was constructed south of the Capitol . The Legislative Building was expanded in 1997 to its current appearance to accommodate the growing Legislature . The lower house of the Legislature is referred to as an `` Assembly '' rather than the more common `` House of Representatives . ''   Since the 2012 session , Assembly districts have been formed by dividing the 21 Senate districts in half , so that each Assembly district is nested within a Senate district .

neg: Moore's law Moore 's law ( -LSB- mɔərz.ˈlɔː -RSB- ) is the observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years . The observation is named after Gordon Moore , the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel , whose 1965 paper described a doubling every year in the number of components per integrated circuit , and projected this rate of growth would continue for at least another decade . In 1975 , looking forward to the next decade , he revised the forecast to doubling every two years . The period is often quoted as 18 months because of Intel executive David House , who predicted that chip performance would double every 18 months ( being a combination of the effect of more transistors and the transistors being faster ) .   Moore 's prediction proved accurate for several decades , and has been used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning and to set targets for research and development .  Advancements in digital electronics are strongly linked to Moore 's law : quality-adjusted microprocessor prices , memory capacity , sensors and even the number and size of pixels in digital cameras . Digital electronics has contributed to world economic growth in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries .  Moore 's law describes a driving force of technological and social change , productivity , and economic growth .   Moore 's law is an observation or projection and not a physical or natural law . Although the rate held steady from 1975 until around 2012 , the rate was faster during the first decade . In general , it is not logically sound to extrapolate from the historical growth rate into the indefinite future . For example , the 2010 update to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors , predicted that growth would slow around 2013 , and in 2015 Gordon Moore foresaw that the rate of progress would reach saturation : `` I see Moore 's law dying here in the next decade or so . ''   Intel stated in 2015 that the pace of advancement has slowed , starting at the 22 nm feature width around 2012 , and continuing at 14 nm . Brian Krzanich , CEO of Intel , announced that `` our cadence today is closer to two and a half years than two . '' This is scheduled to hold through the 10 nm width in late 2017 . He cited Moore 's 1975 revision as a precedent for the current deceleration , which results from technical challenges and is `` a natural part of the history of Moore 's law . ''   However , in April 2016 , Intel CEO Brian Krzanich stated that `` In my 34 years in the semiconductor industry , I have witnessed the advertised death of Moore 's Law no less than four times . As we progress from 14 nanometer technology to 10 nanometer and plan for 7 nanometer and 5 nanometer and even beyond , our plans are proof that Moore 's Law is alive and well '' . In January 2017 , he declared that `` I 've heard the death of Moore 's law more times than anything else in my career , '' Krzanich said . `` And I 'm here today to really show you and tell you that Moore 's Law is alive and well and flourishing . ''   Today hardware has to be designed in a multi-core manner to keep up with Moore 's law . In turn , this also means that software has to be written in a multi-threaded manner to take full advantage of the hardware .

neg: Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature , the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada . The Senate currently ( 2012-2021 ) consists of 21 members from single-member districts . In the previous redistricting ( 2002-2011 ) there were 19 districts , two of which were multimember . Since 2012 , there have been 21 districts , each formed by combining two neighboring Assembly districts . Each senator represented approximately 128,598 as of the 2010 census . Article Four of The Nevada Constitution sets that Senators serve staggered four-year terms . In addition , the size of the Senate is set to be no less than one-third and no greater than one-half of the size of the Assembly . Term limits , limiting senators to three 4-year terms ( 12 years ) , took effect in 2010 . Because of the change in Constitution , seven senators were termed out in 2010 , four were termed out in 2012 , and one is to be termed out in 2014 . The Senate met at the Nevada State Capitol in Carson City until 1971 , when a separate Legislative Building was constructed south of the Capitol . The Legislative Building was expanded in 1997 to its current appearance to accommodate the growing Legislature .

neg: List of United States cities by crime rate The following table of United States cities by crime rate is based on Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports statistics .   The population numbers are based on U.S. Census estimates for the year end . The number of murders includes nonnegligent manslaughter . This list is based on the reporting . In most cases , the city and the reporting agency are identical . However , in some cases such as Charlotte , Honolulu , and Las Vegas , the reporting agency has more than one municipality .   Murder is the only statistic that all agencies are required to report . Consequently , some agencies do not report all the crimes . If components are missing the total is adjusted to 0 .


query: Tunisia was introduced to Christianity and its variations.

pos: Tunisia Tunisia ( تونس ; ⵜⵓⵏⴻⵙ Tunisie ) , officially the Tunisian Republic is a country in North Africa , covering 165,000 km2 . Its northernmost point , Cape Angela , is the northernmost point on the African continent . It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest , Libya to the southeast , and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east . Tunisia 's population was estimated to be just under 11 million in 2014 . Tunisia 's name is derived from its capital city , Tunis , which is located on Tunisia 's northeast coast .   Geographically , Tunisia contains the eastern end of the Atlas Mountains and the northern reaches of the Sahara desert . Much of the rest of the country 's land is fertile soil . Its 1,300 km of coastline includes the African conjunction of the western and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Basin and , by means of the Sicilian Strait and Sardinian Channel , features the African mainland 's second and third nearest points to Europe after Gibraltar .   Tunisia is a unitary semi-presidential representative democratic republic . It is considered to be the only full democracy in the Arab World . It has a high human development index . It has an association agreement with the European Union ; is a member of La Francophonie , the Union for the Mediterranean , the Arab Maghreb Union , the Arab League , the OIC , the Greater Arab Free Trade Area , the Community of Sahel-Saharan States , the African Union , the Non-Aligned Movement , the Group of 77 ; and has obtained the status of major non-NATO ally of the United States . In addition , Tunisia is also a member state of the United Nations and a state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court . Close relations with Europe in particular with France and with Italy have been forged through economic cooperation , privatisation and industrial modernization .   In ancient times , Tunisia was primarily inhabited by Berbers . Phoenician immigration began in the 12th century BC ; these immigrants founded Carthage . A major mercantile power and a military rival of the Roman Republic , Carthage was defeated by the Romans in 146 BC . The Romans , who would occupy Tunisia for most of the next eight hundred years , introduced Christianity and left architectural legacies like the El Djem amphitheater . After several attempts starting in 647 , the Arabs conquered the whole of Tunisia by 697 , followed by the Ottomans between 1534 and 1574 . The Ottomans held sway for over three hundred years . The French colonization of Tunisia occurred in 1881 . Tunisia gained independence with Habib Bourguiba and declared the Tunisian Republic in 1957 . In 2011 , the Tunisian Revolution resulted in the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali , followed by parliamentary elections . The country voted for parliament again on 26 October 2014 , and for President on 23 November 2014 .

neg: Timeline of Orthodoxy in Greece (33–717) This is a timeline of the presence of Orthodoxy in Greece . The history of Greece traditionally encompasses the study of the Greek people , the areas they ruled historically , as well as the territory now composing the modern state of Greece .   Christianity was first brought to the geographical area corresponding to modern Greece by the Apostle Paul , although the church 's apostolicity also rests upon St. Andrew who preached the gospel in Greece and suffered martyrdom in Patras , Titus , Paul 's companion who preached the gospel in Crete where he became bishop , Philip who , according to the tradition , visited and preached in Athens , Luke the Evangelist who was martyred in Thebes , Lazarus of Bethany , Bishop of Kition in Cyprus , and John the Theologian who was exiled on the island of Patmos where he received the Revelation recorded in the last book of the New Testament . In addition , the Theotokos is regarded as having visited the Holy Mountain in 49 AD according to tradition . Thus Greece became the first European area to accept the gospel of Christ . Towards the end of the 2nd century the early apostolic bishoprics had developed into metropolitan sees in the most important cities . Such were the sees of Thessaloniki , Corinth , Nicopolis , Philippi and Athens .   By the 4th century almost the entire Balkan peninsula constituted the Exarchate of Illyricum which was under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome . Illyricum was assigned to the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Constantinople by the emperor in 732 . From then on the Church in Greece remained under Constantinople till the fall of the Byzantine empire to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 . As an integral part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate , the church remained under its jurisdiction until Greek independence . Under Ottoman rule , up to `` 6,000 Greek clergymen , ca. 100 Bishops , and 11 Patriarchs knew the Ottoman sword '' .   The Greek War of Independence of 1821 -- 28 created an independent southern Greece , but created anomalies in ecclesiastical relations since the Ecumenical Patriarch remained under Ottoman tutelage , and in 1850 the Endemousa Synod in Constantinople declared the Church of Greece autocephalous .   The cultural roots of both Byzantine and modern Greece can not be separated from Orthodoxy . Therefore , it was natural that in all Greek Constitutions the Orthodox Church was accorded the status of the prevailing religion .   In the 20th century , during much of the period of communism , the Church of Greece saw itself as a guardian of Orthodoxy . It cherishes its place as the cradle of the primitive church and the Greek clergy are still present in the historic places of Istanbul and Jerusalem , and Cyprus . The autocephalous Church of Greece is organised into 81 dioceses , however 35 of these -- known as the Metropolises of the New Lands -- are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople but are administered as part of the Church of Greece ; although the dioceses of Crete , the Dodecanese , and Mount Athos are under the direct jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople . `` Codified in the 1928 Patriarchal and Synodical Act , the `` New Lands '' were entrusted to the temporary stewardship of the Church of Greece , provided that the Church respected the terms of the Act . The Act subsequently has been incorporated into several pieces of Greek legislation ( Laws 3615/1928 , 5438/1932 , 599/1977 , and Article 3 , paragraph 1 of the current Greek Constitution ) , thereby recognizing the ecclesiastical agreement between the two sides . ''   The Archbishop of Athens and All Greece presides over both a standing synod of twelve metropolitans ( six from the new territories and six from southern Greece ) , who participate in the synod in rotation and on an annual basis , and a synod of the hierarchy ( in which all ruling metropolitans participate ) , which meets once a year .   The government observes several religious holidays as national holidays including Epiphany , Clean Monday ( the start of Great Lent ) , Good Friday , Easter Sunday , Easter Monday , Holy Spirit Day , the Dormition of the Theotokos and Christmas .   Among the current concerns of the Church of Greece are the Christian response to globalization , to interreligious dialogue , and a common Christian voice within the framework of the European Union .   The population of Greece is 11.4 million ( 2011 ) , of which 95 % to 98 % are Greek Orthodox .

neg: Early political career of Habib Bourguiba The early political career of Habib Bourguiba began in the early 1930s when he joined the main political party of the Tunisian national movement , the Destour . His political beginnings were characterized with a `` battle '' in newspapers such as L'Étandar Tunisien and La voix du Tunisien , while defending Tunisia 's integrity and the preservation of its national identity . Shocked by the 1930 International Eucharistic Congress of Carthage , Bourguiba and his mates decided to start a press campaign to denounce the event . They soon acquired an unprecedented popularity , and stood out from the elders of Destour . They attracted the hostility of settlers , eager to put an end to their activism and press campaign . However , Bourguiba and his friends founded their own newspaper , despite the colonial attempts to stop them . L'Action Tunisienne was thus created in order to defend the `` little people '' in a context of economic crisis , following the Great Depression .   Bourguiba , worried about his country 's state , knew that a good cause would revive the national movement , weakened by the 1926 repressions . In order to do so , he was the only one to defend M'hamed Chenik , a Tunis notable , who had been in trouble with the Residence , the French colonial administration . Bourguiba jumped at the chance to rally the bourgeoisie class to the nationalist cause . But his attempt failed and ended up dividing L'Action team . In this context , the uprising following the Tunisian naturalization issue , in early 1933 , was the perfect opportunity for him . He started another successful press campaign . With his friends Tahar Sfar , Mahmoud El Materi , Bahri Guiga and his brother M'hamed , they sensitized lower classes to their cause and changed the Residence policy . The popularity he acquired during the event , led to his election as a member of the executive committee of the Destour , in May 1933 . However , differences with the elders caused him to resign from the party in September 1933 .

neg: History of Christianity in the Czech Lands The history of Christianity in the Czech Lands began in the 9th century . Moravia was the first among the three historical regions of what now forms the Czech Republic to have officially adopted Christianity , in 831 . In 845 Bohemian chieftains or duces also converted to the new faith , but they soon returned to paganism . Moravia was the earliest center of Old Church Slavonic liturgy after the arrival of Constantine ( Cyril ) and Methodius in 863 or 864 , but their opponents , mainly priests of German origin , achieved the banishment of their disciplines in the 880s . Bohemia became the center of Christianization following the fall of Moravia in the early 10th century . Changes in burials and the erection of churches throughout the Czech Lands demonstrate the spread of the new faith in the 10th century .   Two dioceses ( the bishoprics of Prague and Olomouc ) came into being by the end of the 11th century , but the system of local parishes only strengthened in the 12th century . The dukes and wealthy noblemen also set up a number of Benedictine , Cistercian , and Premonstratensian monasteries in the 11th and 12th centuries .

neg: History of the Byzantine Empire This history of the Byzantine Empire covers the history of the Eastern Roman Empire from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD . Several events from the 4th to 6th centuries mark the transitional period during which the Roman Empire 's east and west divided . In 285 , the emperor Diocletian ( r. 284 -- 305 ) partitioned the Roman Empire 's administration into eastern and western halves . Between 324 and 330 , Constantine I ( r. 306 -- 337 ) transferred the main capital from Rome to Byzantium , later known as Constantinople ( `` City of Constantine '' ) and Nova Roma ( `` New Rome '' ) . Under Theodosius I ( r. 379 -- 395 ) , Christianity became the Empire 's official state religion and others such as Roman polytheism were proscribed . And finally , under the reign of Heraclius ( r. 610 -- 641 ) , the Empire 's military and administration were restructured and adopted Greek for official use instead of Latin . Thus , although it continued the Roman state and maintained Roman state traditions , modern historians distinguish Byzantium from ancient Rome insofar as it was oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture , and characterised by Orthodox Christianity rather than Roman polytheism .   The borders of the Empire evolved significantly over its existence , as it went through several cycles of decline and recovery . During the reign of Justinian I ( r. 527 -- 565 ) , the Empire reached its greatest extent after reconquering much of the historically Roman western Mediterranean coast , including north Africa , Italy , and Rome itself , which it held for two more centuries . During the reign of Maurice ( r. 582 -- 602 ) , the Empire 's eastern frontier was expanded and the north stabilised . However , his assassination caused a two-decade-long war with Sassanid Persia which exhausted the Empire 's resources and contributed to major territorial losses during the Muslim conquests of the 7th century . In a matter of years the Empire lost its richest provinces , Egypt and Syria , to the Arabs .   During the Macedonian dynasty ( 10th -- 11th centuries ) , the Empire again expanded and experienced a two-century long renaissance , which came to an end with the loss of much of Asia Minor to the Seljuk Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071 . This battle opened the way for the Turks to settle in Anatolia as a homeland .   The final centuries of the Empire exhibited a general trend of decline . It struggled to recover during the 12th century , but was delivered a mortal blow during the Fourth Crusade , when Constantinople was sacked and the Empire dissolved and divided into competing Byzantine Greek and Latin realms . Despite the eventual recovery of Constantinople and re-establishment of the Empire in 1261 , Byzantium remained only one of several small rival states in the area for the final two centuries of its existence . Its remaining territories were progressively annexed by the Ottomans over the 15th century . The Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 finally ended the Roman Empire .

neg: Origins of Christianity Early Christianity and Early Rabbinical Judaism were significantly influenced by Hellenistic religion and Hellenistic philosophy . Christianity in particular inherited many features of Greco-Roman paganism in its structure , its terminology , its cult and its theology . Titles such as Pontifex Maximus and Sol Invictus were taken directly from Roman religion . The influence of Neoplatonism on Christian theology is significant , visible for example in Augustine of Hippo 's identification of God as summum bonum and of evil as privatio boni . Striking parallels between the New Testament account of Jesus and classical gods or demigods such as Bacchus , Bellerophon or Perseus were recognized by the Church Fathers and termed `` demonic imitation '' by Justin Martyr in the 2nd century .

neg: Kale Heywet Word of Life Church Kale Heywet ( Word of Life ) Church ( KHC ) is the largest evangelical denomination in Ethiopia . Started in the early 1920s by pioneering Serving In Mission , formerly , Sudan Interior Mission , ( SIM ) missionaries , Kale Heywet Church thrived in the south-central and south-western corners of the country during the five-year Italian occupation in the 1930s .   Dr. Thomas Alexander Lambie ( 1885-1954 ) is one of the prominent of early missionaries towards the establishment of the KHC . His entry and stay for some seven years and re-entry with a group of the first batch of SIM missionaries into the country , his fast friendship with the commoner as well as the high-level officials , including the emperor himself , his brave commitment even to relinquish his birth citizenship to be an Ethiopian in order to get the right to buy and retain land titles and build mission stations with less bureaucracy , is a story in its own right . Articles such as this one and his books testify to his life and ministry . In the first decade of the missionary endeavor the mission itself was known locally as `` Lambie 's Mahber '' - Lambie 's association .   The first missionaries had initially planned a trip into the western part of Ethiopia , but after prayer felt they were being led to the South Central area . The early missionary work was concentrated among the Welayta , Kambaata , and Sidama peoples , which are the three most densely populated awrajas ( regions ) in Ethiopia . This area was , as fertile spiritually as it is geographically . At Dembi Dollo Lambie worked with an Ethiopian evangelist named Gidada Solon .   The few missionaries that entered the country had all to exit the country during the country 's invasion by the Italians . They left a handful of believers with the translation of portions of Scriptures and the Gospel of Mark . What the missionaries found when they came back after the five-year occupation of the country was astounding . The handful believers were multiplied by thousands and the fledgling congregation was very strong . The price of planting this church in Ethiopia was at a very great cost , even cost of the lives of three of the earliest missionaries . Nearly 100 missionaries toiled hard for about ten years before they left the country during the invasion . The Italians were not friendly to the Orthodox Church and treated the new Evangelical believers very harshly .   Changed lives were very evident among the converts who had followed the animist way of life . The congregations that grew in the absence of the church planting missionaries was n't lacking anything . In fact , their unprecedented absence was a boon in a way as it gave birth to a church with an indigenous local texture . The devotion of the believers was pure and their worship biblical as well as culture-sensitive . Returning missionaries , aside from church planting in unreached areas , provided needed biblical and theological teachings to the growing church . It was this unwavering commitment to the teaching of the Word of God , that kept KHC healthy and strong .   Kale Heywet Church grew and matured in its primal years not without persecution and challenges . The long established and state supported Ethiopian Orthodox Church tried from long before not to permit missionaries into the country . What crystallized this was the church 's unfortunate experience with the Jesuit missionaries some four centuries earlier . The missionaries were limited in their effort to preach the good news . The nationals were tried and imprisoned .   It was thus that Kale Heywet Church , numerically by far the largest Evangelical denomination , was started and developed . In the seventy years of its history the church has witnessed not a few ups and downs . In the 1950s together with like denominations of the Baptist Church and the Church of Christ , the Yewongel Amagnotch Andnet Mahber ( Gospel Believers ' Fellowship ? ) was established . This body served as the voice of the Evangelical believers in Ethiopia for no less than three decades .   Currently KHC has about or more than 7,774 local congregation and estimated 6,7 million members and adherents . Its 300 + intermediate and higher level Bible Schools , 3 ministers ' training centers , 1 theological college , and 1 seminary ( a consortium ) teach and equip tens of thousands and graduate thousands each year . The multi-faceted ministries of KHC include Evangelism , theological training , Women 's ministry , Youth ministry , Children 's ministry and Children 's Centre , Missions , Urban and Rural Integrated ministries , and diverse training ministries .   The Head Office of Kale Heywet Church is located south of Mexico Square , near the Africa Union Head Office .

neg: Patriarchate A patriarchate is the office or jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical patriarch . A patriarch , as the term is used here , is either ,   One of the five leaders of the Pentarchy , the highest-ranking bishops in the Christian Church prior to the Great Schism , who were the bishops of Rome , Constantinople , Alexandria , Antioch , and Jerusalem ; or  One of the nine leading bishops of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the present day , including the patriarchs of Constantinople , Alexandria , Antioch and Jerusalem mentioned above , and also the five more recently established patriarchs of ( in chronological order of establishment ) Bulgaria , Georgia , Serbia , Moscow and Romania ; or  One of ten high-ranking bishops of the Roman Catholic Church : seven `` patriarchs of the east '' ( six who are heads of Eastern Catholic Churches and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem ) , plus the patriarchs of Lisbon , Venice and the East Indies ; or  One of the several leading bishops holding the title of patriarch in Oriental Orthodoxy and the Church of the East .   The five patriarchs of the Pentarchy sat in Rome , Constantinople ( now Istanbul ) , Alexandria , Antioch , and Jerusalem . The East-West Schism of 1054 split the Latin-speaking see of Rome from the four Greek-speaking patriarchates , forming distinct Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches . The Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch moved to Damascus in the 13th century , during the reign of the Egyptian Mamelukes , conquerors of Syria . In Damascus a Christian community had flourished since apostolic times ( Acts 9 ) . However , the patriarchate is still called the Patriarchate of Antioch . Damascus is the seat also of the Syrian Catholic and the Melkite Catholic Patriarchs of Antioch , while the Maronite Catholic of Antioch lives in Bkerké , Lebanon .   The four early Orthodox ( Greek ) patriarchates of the East , Constantinople , Alexandria , Antioch and Jerusalem , along with their Latin Catholic counterpart in the West , Rome , are distinguished as `` senior '' ( Greek : πρεσβυγενή , presbygenē , `` senior-born '' ) or `` ancient '' ( παλαίφατα , palèphata , `` of ancient fame '' ) and are among the apostolic sees , having had one of the Apostles or Evangelists as their first bishop : Andrew , Mark , Peter , James , and Peter again , respectively .   In the Roman Catholic Church , some patriarchal titles are purely honorary , without an actual residential see , and hence termed Titular Patriarch ( ate ) s , either vested in another ( residential ) patriarchal see or in the Pope 's gift .   A patriarchate has `` legal personality '' in some legal jurisdictions , that means it is treated as a corporation . For example , the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem filed a lawsuit in New York , decided in 1999 , against Christie 's Auction House , disputing the ownership of the Archimedes Palimpsest .   The head of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church is also called a Patriarch .

neg: Jewish Christian Jewish Christians , also Hebrew Christians or Judeo-Christians , were the original members of the Jewish movement that later became Christianity . In the earliest stage the community was made up of all those Jews who accepted Jesus as a venerable person or the Messiah ( Christ ) . As Christianity grew and developed , Jewish Christians became only one strand of the early Christian community , characterised by combining the confession of Jesus as Christ with continued adherence to Jewish traditions such as Sabbath observance , observance of the Jewish calendar , observance of Jewish laws and customs , circumcision , and synagogue attendance , and by a direct genetic relationship to the earliest Jewish Christians .   The term `` Jewish Christian '' appears in historical texts contrasting Christians of Jewish origin with Gentile Christians , both in discussion of the New Testament church and the second and following centuries . It is also a term used for Jews who converted to Christianity but kept their Jewish heritage and traditions .   1st century `` Jewish Christians '' were totally faithful religious Jews . They differed from other contemporary Jews only in their acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah . Those that taught that Gentile converts to Christianity ought to adopt more Jewish practices than the Church had already included , however , were called `` Judaizers '' . Though the Apostle Peter was initially sympathetic , the Apostle Paul opposed the teaching at the Incident at Antioch and at the Council of Jerusalem , where Paul 's teaching was accepted by the whole Church . Nevertheless , Judaizing continued for several centuries , particularly among Jewish Christians .   As Christianity grew throughout the Gentile world , Christians diverged from their Jewish and Jerusalem roots . Jewish Christianity , initially strengthened despite persecution by Jerusalem Temple officials , fell into decline during the Jewish-Roman wars ( 66-135 ) and the growing anti-Judaism perhaps best personified by Marcion ( c. 150 ) . With persecution by the orthodox Christians from the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the 4th century , Jewish Christians sought refuge outside the boundaries of the Empire , in Arabia and further afield . Within the Empire and later elsewhere it was dominated by the Gentile based Christianity which became the State church of the Roman Empire and which took control of sites in the Holy Land such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Cenacle and appointed subsequent Bishops of Jerusalem .

neg: Christianity in Sudan Christianity has a long history in the region that is now Sudan and South Sudan .  Ancient Nubia was reached by Coptic Christianity by the 2nd century .  The Coptic Church was later influenced by Byzantine Christianity . From the 7th century , the Christian Nubian kingdoms were threatened by the Islamic expansion , but the southernmost of these kingdoms , Alodia , survived until 1504 .   Southern Sudan ( including what is now South Sudan ) remained long dominated by traditional ( tribal ) religions of the Nilotic peoples , with significant conversion to Anglicanism ( Episcopal Church of Sudan ) during the 20th century .

neg: Tabalta Tabalta was an ancient Roman-Berber city in the province of Africa Proconsularis and of Byzacena during the late antiquity . It was a Catholic diocese .   The site of the ancient town is tentatively given as ruins at Henchir-Gourghebi in the Sahel region of Tunisia .   The city was also the seat of a titular Bishopric of the Roman Catholic Church .  modern Henchir-Gourghebi in Tunisia .  The current Bishop is who replaced Thomas Daly of San Jose in 2015 .

neg: Apostolic Age The Apostolic Age of the history of Christianity is traditionally regarded as the period of the Twelve Apostles , dating from the Great Commission of the Apostles by the risen Jesus in Jerusalem around 33 AD until the death of the last Apostle , believed to be John the Apostle in Anatolia c. 100 . Traditionally , the Apostles are believed to have dispersed from Jerusalem , founding the Apostolic Sees . It holds special significance in Christian tradition as the age of the direct apostles of Jesus Christ . One major primary source for the `` Apostolic Age '' is the Acts of the Apostles , but its historical accuracy is questioned by some and its coverage is partial , focusing especially from onwards on the ministry of Paul ( an apostle to the Gentiles , but not one of the original twelve apostles - Rom . 1:1 ; 11:13 ) and his companions , and ending around 62 AD with Paul preaching in Rome under house arrest .   According to most scholars , the followers of Jesus were composed principally from apocalyptic Jewish sects during the late Second Temple period of the 1st century . Some Early Christian groups were strictly Jewish , such as the Ebionites and the early-church leaders in Jerusalem , collectively called Jewish Christians . During this period , they were led by James the Just . According to , they described themselves as ` disciples of the Lord ' and -LSB- followers -RSB- ` of the Way ' , and according to a settled community of disciples at Antioch were the first to be called ` Christians ' .   Saul of Tarsus , commonly known as Paul the Apostle , persecuted the early Jewish Christians , such as Saint Stephen , then converted and adopted the title of `` Apostle to the Gentiles '' and started proselytizing among the Gentiles . He persuaded the leaders of the Jerusalem Church to allow Gentile converts exemption from most Jewish commandments at the Council of Jerusalem .   According to the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church , Paul 's influence on Christian thinking is more significant than any other New Testament author , however the relationship of Paul the Apostle and Judaism is still disputed today ( see the link for details ) . After the Destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 during the First Jewish-Roman War , or at the latest following the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132 , Jerusalem ceased to be the center of the Christian church , its bishops became `` suffragans '' ( subordinates ) of the Metropolitan bishop of Caesarea . In the 2nd century , Christianity established itself as a predominantly Gentile religion that spanned the Roman Empire and beyond .

neg: Christianity in Sokoto State Christianity is a minority religion in the Nigerian State of sokoto , where Sharia is constitutionally enforced ( only muslims ) . The Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto has some 44,000 Catholics . Sokoto State is an area of  Nigerian sectarian violence and persecution of Christians .   The Redeemed Christian Church of God is active in Sokoto .  An Anglican Diocese of Sokoto of the Church of Nigeria has been created in about 1990 . An ECWA Samuel Matankari Memorial College of the Evangelical Church of West Africa exists in Sokoto . Zion World Prayer and Missions has its headquarters in Sokoto .  The anti-Christian riots of 1966 resulted in the displacement of many Christians .

neg: Great Church The term `` Great Church '' ( Latin ecclesia magna ) is a concept in the historiography of early Christianity describing the rapid growth and structural development of the Church in 180-313 AD ( around the time of the Ante-Nicene Period ) and its claim to represent Christianity universally within the Roman Empire . The term is primarily associated with the Roman Catholic account of the history of Christian theology , but is also used by non-Catholic historians .   In modern Catholic usage , the `` Great Church '' broadly means the majority united Catholic and Orthodox Christian church in the West continuing in authority from the Twelve Apostles to today , and all bishops who remained in fellowship with the Bishop of Rome .   The `` epoch of the Great Church '' is counted as beginning around the end of the 2nd century when , despite the persecution of Christians , the religion became established numerically and organizationally , eventually becoming the State church of the Roman Empire in 380 . However , at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 , an Oriental Orthodox branch parted ways with the Great Church due to Christological differences .

neg: Persecution of Christians Persecution of Christians can be traced historically based on the biblical account of Jesus from the first century of the Christian era to the present day . Early Christians were persecuted for their faith at the hands of both Jews from whose religion Christianity arose and the Romans who controlled many of the land across which early Christianity was distributed . Early in the fourth century , the religion was legalized by the Edict of Milan , and it eventually became the State church of the Roman Empire .   Christian missionaries as well as converts to Christianity have been the targets of persecution ever since the emergence of Christianity , sometimes to the point of being martyred for their faith .   Schisms of the Middle Ages and especially the Protestant Reformation , sometimes provoked severe conflicts between Christian denominations to the point of persecuting each other .   In the 20th century , Christians have been persecuted by various groups , including the Islamic Ottoman Empire in the form of the Armenian Genocide , the Assyrian Genocide and the Greek Genocide , as well as atheistic states such as the Soviet Union and North Korea . During World War II members of some Christian churches were persecuted in Nazi Germany for resisting Nazi ideology .   In more recent times the persecution of Christians has increased in India according to International Christian Concern . The Christian missionary organization Open Doors ( UK ) estimates 100 million Christians face persecution , particularly in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan and Saudi Arabia .

neg: North Africa North Africa is the term given to a group of Mediterranean countries situated in the northern-most region of the African continent . The term `` North Africa '' has no single accepted definition . It is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Morocco in the west , to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in the east . Others have limited it to the countries of Morocco , Algeria , and Tunisia , a region known by the French during colonial times as `` Afrique du Nord '' and by the Arabs as the Maghreb ( `` West '' ) .   The most commonly accepted definition includes Morocco , Algeria , and Tunisia , as well as Libya and Egypt , It should be noted however that the term `` North Africa '' , when commonly used in North Africa and the Middle East , often refers only to the countries of the Maghreb and Libya . Egypt , due to its greater Middle Eastern associations , is typically viewed separately . The countries of North Africa share a common ethnic , cultural and linguistic identity that is unique to this region .   North west Africa has been inhabited by Berbers since the beginning of recorded history , while the eastern part of North Africa has been home to the Egyptians . Following the Muslim conquest in the seventh century C.E. , the region underwent a process of Arabization and Islamization that has defined its cultural landscape ever since .   The distinction between North Africa and much of Sub-Saharan Africa is historically and ecologically significant because of the effective barrier created by the Sahara Desert for much of modern history . From 3500 BC , following the abrupt desertification of the Sahara due to gradual changes in the Earth 's orbit , this barrier has culturally separated the North from the rest of the continent . As the seafaring civilizations of the Phoenicians , Greeks , Romans , Muslims and others facilitated communication and migration across the Mediterranean Sea , the cultures of North Africa became much more closely tied to Southwestern Asia and Europe than Sub-Saharan Africa . The Islamic influence in the area is also significant , and North Africa is a major part of the Muslim world .   Some researchers have postulated that North Africa rather than East Africa served as the exit point for the modern humans who first trekked out of the continent in the Out of Africa migration .

neg: Constantine the Great and Christianity While the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great reigned ( 306 -- 337 AD ) , Christianity began to transition to the dominant religion of the Roman Empire . Historians remain uncertain about Constantine 's reasons for favoring Christianity , and theologians and historians have argued about which form of Early Christianity he subscribed to . There is no consensus among scholars as to whether he adopted his mother Helena 's Christianity in his youth , or ( as claimed by Eusebius of Caesarea ) encouraged her to convert to the faith himself . Some scholars question the extent to which he should be considered a Christian emperor : `` Constantine saw himself as an 'em peror of the Christian people ' . If this made him a Christian is the subject of ... debate . '' , although he allegedly received a baptism shortly before his death .   Constantine 's decision to cease the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire was a turning point for Early Christianity , sometimes referred to as the Triumph of the Church , the Peace of the Church or the Constantinian shift . In 313 , Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan decriminalizing Christian worship . The emperor became a great patron of the Church and set a precedent for the position of the Christian emperor within the Church and the notion of orthodoxy , Christendom , ecumenical councils and the state church of the Roman Empire declared by edict in 380 . He is revered as a saint and isapostolos in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church for his example as a `` Christian monarch . ''

neg: Synagogue Church Synagogue Church is a small Christian church in the heart of Nazareth known by this name because above its doorway is an embedded sign : `` the synagogue '' . The structure is currently controlled by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church . Its floor is sunken about 1.5 meters underground , possibly built atop a Crusader church dating from the 12th century . The church was under the control of the Franciscans until the 18th century , when the ruler Zahir al-Umar passed it to the Greek Catholics .  According to Christian tradition , the church is built on the ruins of the ancient Nazareth synagogue where Jesus studied and prayed . In addition , it is where one Sabbath day Jesus went to preach . In two Gospels ( Matthew 13:54 -58 , Mark 6:1 -6 ) , his fellow townspeople got angry with him . Because he was one of them , they did n't trust him to have the authority to preach in that way and to perform miracles . He was amazed at their lack of faith and concluded that a prophet is not honoured in his own home town . In Luke 4:14 -30 , the story differs a bit : There he reads from Isaiah 61:1,2 and the worshippers are pleased . But he tells them that prophets are called to do their work in foreign places rather than at home , because they are not accepted in their own home town . In doing this , he also implicitly declares himself as the Messiah . This sermon infuriates the listeners , who drag him to a cliff to throw him over , but he simply walks through the crowd and leaves .   Little is known of the years Jesus spent in Nazareth , leading scholars to describe this time as `` the hidden life '' or `` the silent years '' . It is thus all the more significant for Christian visitors to find a lone place where such silence is broken -- the Synagogue Church . In 570 , an Italian visitor described the synagogue , and reported that the original Bible was still there , including the bench where Jesus used to sit .

neg: Christianity in Sri Lanka Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka . Christianity was introduced to the island in first century , probably in AD 72 . There is a claim that after Thomas the Apostle 's visit in Kerala in AD 52 , Christianity was introduced via India due to its close geographical and commercial ties . According to Christian traditions , the apostle Thomas preached the Gospel in Sri Lanka Records suggest that St. Thomas Christians and Nestorian Christians lived in Sri Lanka . Anuradhapura cross is one of the archaeological claims that suggest Christianity in Sri Lanka before Portuguese . Roman Catholicism was introduced by the Portuguese in 1505 . There were conversions by Dutch persons in the 17th century , which resulted in a percentage of church members in excess of 10 % . The Christian population of Sri Lanka includes members of both the Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic groups .

neg: Johannine Christianity Johannine Christianity refers to an ancient Christian community of uncertain existence , which placed great emphasis on the teachings of Jesus , particularly as revealed through the Gospel of John .   Starting as a community of early followers of Jesus who `` defined themselves rather starkly against the Jewish milieu in which they arose , these believers cultivated an intense devotion to Jesus as the definitive revelation of God 's salvific will . They understood themselves to be in intimate contact with him and with one another , under the guidance of the Spirit-Paraclete . They were conscious of their relationship to other believers with whom they hoped to be in eventual union . Their piety found distinctive expression in a reflective literary corpus that explored new ways of expressing faith in Jesus . '' ( Attridge 2006 )   `` Their common life included ritual actions known to other followers of Jesus , but they insisted on the unique spiritual value of those rites . Disputes eventually divided the community . By the middle of the second century some representatives of the Johannine tradition achieved a respected role in the emerging ` great church ' , the interconnected web of believers throughout the Mediterranean that provided mutual support and maintained fellowship under the leadership of emerging episcopal authorities . The Johannine community of the first century bequeathed to the universal church its distinctive literary corpus and estimation of Jesus , which came to dominate the development of later Christian orthodoxy . Other representatives of Johannine Christianity , nurturing alternative strands of tradition , influenced various second-century movements , characterized by their opponents and much modern scholarship as ` Gnostic ' . '' ( Attridge 2006 )

neg: Synods of Antioch Beginning with three synods convened between 264 and 269 in the matter of Paul of Samosata , more than thirty councils were held in Antioch in ancient times . Most of these dealt with phases of the Arian and of the Christological controversies . For example , the Catholic Encyclopedia article on Paul of Samosata states :   The most celebrated convened in the summer of 341 at the dedication of the Domus Aurea , and is therefore called or dedication council . Nearly a hundred Eastern bishops were present , but the bishop of Rome was not represented . The emperor Constantius II attended in person .   The council approved three creeds . Whether or not the so-called `` fourth formula '' is to be ascribed to a continuation of this synod or to a subsequent but distinct assembly of the same year , its aim is like that of the first three ; while repudiating certain Arian formulas it avoids the orthodox term homoousios , fiercely advocated by Athanasius of Alexandria and accepted by the First Council of Nicaea ( Nicaea I ) . The somewhat colourless compromise doubtless proceeded from the party of Eusebius of Nicomedia , and proved not unacceptable to the more nearly orthodox members of the synod .   The twenty-five canons adopted regulate the so-called metropolitan constitution of the church . Ecclesiastical power is vested chiefly in the metropolitan ( later called archbishop ) , and the biannual provincial synod ( see Nicaea I , canon 5 . ) , which he summons and over which he presides . Consequently , the powers of country bishops ( chorepiscopi ) are curtailed , and direct recourse to the emperor is forbidden . The sentence of one judicatory is to be respected by other judicatories of equal rank ; re-trial may take place only before that authority to whom appeal regularly lies . Without due invitation , a bishop may not ordain , or in any other way interfere with affairs lying outside his proper territory ; nor may he appoint his own successor . Penalties are set on the refusal to celebrate Easter in accordance with the Nicaea I decree , as well as on leaving a church before the service of the Eucharist is completed .   The numerous objections made by scholars in past centuries about the canons ascribed to this council have been elaborately stated and probably refuted by Hefele . The canons formed part of the Codex canonum used at Chalcedon in 451 and are found in later Eastern and Western collections of canons .