document_title: Monotheism

question_text: what is the oldest monotheistic religion and is based on the hebrew bible

question_tokens: what is the oldest monotheistic religion and is based on the hebrew bible

text: Monotheism

text: Etymology[edit]

text: The word monotheism comes from the Greek μόνος (monos)[12] meaning "single" and θεός (theos)[13] meaning "god".[14] The English term was first used by Henry More (1614–1687).[15]

text: Origins[edit]

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text: Quasi-monotheistic claims of the existence of a universal deity date to the Late Bronze Age, with Akhenaten's Great Hymn to the Aten. A possible inclination towards monotheism emerged during the Vedic period[16] in Iron-Age South Asia. The Rigveda exhibits notions of monism of the Brahman, particularly in the comparatively late tenth book,[17] which is dated to the early Iron Age, e.g. in the Nasadiya sukta. Bonpa Dharma, perhaps from twentieth century BCE,[18] was the first recorded religion to declare that there is one God above all, whom it calls Sangpo Bumtri.[19] However, it does not encourage monotheistic worship of a Sangpo Bumtri or any god for salvation but rather it focuses on karma.

text: Since the sixth century BCE, Zoroastrians have believed in the supremacy of one God above all: Ahura Mazda as the "Maker of All"[20] and the first being before all others.[21][22][23][24] Nonetheless, Zoroastrianism was not strictly monotheistic[25] because it venerated other yazatas alongside Ahura Mazda. Ancient Hindu theology, meanwhile, was monist, but was not strictly monotheistic in worship because it still maintained the existence of many gods, who were envisioned as aspects of one supreme God, Brahman.[26] Numerous ancient Greek philosophers, including Xenophanes of Colophon and Antisthenes believed in a similar polytheistic monism that came close to monotheism, but fell short.[26] Judaism was the first religion to conceive the notion of a personal monotheistic God within a monist context.[26] The concept of ethical monotheism, which holds that morality stems from God alone and that its laws are unchanging,[27][28] first occurred in Judaism,[29] but is now a core tenet of most modern monotheistic religions, including Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, and Bahá'í Faith.[30]

text: According to Jewish, Christian and Islamic tradition, monotheism was the original religion of humanity; this original religion is sometimes referred to as "the Adamic religion", or, in the terms of Andrew Lang, the "Urreligion". Scholars of religion largely abandoned that view in the 19th century in favour of an evolutionary progression from animism via polytheism to monotheism, but by 1974 this theory was less widely held, and a modified view similar to Lang's became more prominent.[2][need quotation to verify] Austrian anthropologist Wilhelm Schmidt had postulated an Urmonotheismus, "original" or "primitive monotheism" in the 1910s.[31] It was objected[by whom?] that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam had grown up in opposition to polytheism as had Greek philosophical monotheism.[2] More recently, Karen Armstrong[32] and other authors have returned to the idea of an evolutionary progression beginning with animism, which developed into polytheism, which developed into henotheism, which developed into monolatry, which developed into true monotheism.[33]

text: Abrahamic religions[edit]

text: While all adherents of the Abrahamic religions consider themselves to be monotheists, some in Judaism do not consider Christianity to be a pure form of monotheism (due to The Christian doctrine of the Trinity), classifying it as Shituf.[34][35] Islam likewise does not recognize modern-day Christianity as monotheistic, primarily due to the Christian doctrine of Trinity, which Islam argues was not a part of the original monotheistic Christianity as preached by Jesus.[36] Christians, on the other hand, argue that the doctrine of the Trinity is a valid expression of monotheism, citing that the Trinity does not consist of three separate deities, but rather the three persons, who exist consubstantially (as one substance) within a single Godhead.[37][38][39]

text: Judaism[edit]

text: Judaism is one of the oldest monotheistic religions in the world.[40] God in Judaism is strictly monotheistic,[41] an absolute one, indivisible, and incomparable being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. The Babylonian Talmud references other, "foreign gods" as non-existent entities to whom humans mistakenly ascribe reality and power.[42] One of the best-known statements of Rabbinical Judaism on monotheism is the Second of Maimonides' 13 Principles of faith:

text: God, the Cause of all, is one. This does not mean one as in one of a pair, nor one like a species (which encompasses many individuals), nor one as in an object that is made up of many elements, nor as a single simple object that is infinitely divisible. Rather, God is a unity unlike any other possible unity.[43]

text: Some in Judaism[44] and Islam reject the Christian idea of monotheism. Judaism uses the term shituf to refer to the worship of God in a manner which Judaism deems to be neither purely monotheistic (though still permissible for non-jews) nor polytheistic (which would be prohibited).[45]

text: In Ancient Israel[edit]

text: During the 8th century BCE, the worship of YHWH in Israel was in competition with many other cults, described by the Yahwist faction collectively as Baals. The oldest books of the Hebrew Bible reflect this competition, as in the books of Hosea and Nahum, whose authors lament the "apostasy" of the people of Israel, threatening them with the wrath of God if they do not give up their polytheistic cults.[46][47]

text: Ancient Israelite religion was originally polytheistic;[48] the Israelites worshipped many deities,[49] including El, Baal, Asherah, and Astarte. YHWH was originally the national god of the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah.[49] As time progressed, the henotheistic cult of Yahweh grew increasingly militant in its opposition to the worship of other gods.[48] Later, the reforms of King Josiah imposed a form of strict monolatrism. After the fall of Judah to Babylon, a small circle of priests and scribes gathered around the exiled royal court, where they first developed the concept of YHWH as the sole God of the world.[26]

text: The Shema[edit]

text: Shema Yisrael ("Hear, [O] Israel") are the first two words of a section of the Torah, and is the title of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. The first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Hebrew: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד), found in Deuteronomy 6:4, sometimes alternatively translated as "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone." Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night.

text: Christianity[edit]

text: Among early Christians there was considerable debate over the nature of the Godhead, with some denying the incarnation but not the deity of Jesus (Docetism) and others later calling for an Arian conception of God. Despite at least one earlier local synod rejecting the claim of Arius, this Christological issue was to be one of the items addressed at the First Council of Nicaea.

text: The First Council of Nicaea, held in Nicaea (in present-day Turkey), convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in 325, was the first ecumenical[51] council of bishops of the Roman Empire, and most significantly resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed. With the creation of the creed, a precedent was established for subsequent general ecumenical councils of bishops (synods) to create statements of belief and canons of doctrinal orthodoxy— the intent being to define a common creed for the Church and address heretical ideas.

text: One purpose of the council was to resolve disagreements in Alexandria over the nature of Jesus in relationship to the Father; in particular, whether Jesus was of the same substance as God the Father or merely of similar substance. All but two bishops took the first position; while Arius' argument failed.

text: Christian orthodox traditions (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and most Protestants) follow this decision, which was reaffirmed in 381 at the First Council of Constantinople and reached its full development through the work of the Cappadocian Fathers. They consider God to be a triune entity, called the Trinity, comprising three "persons", God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three are described as being "of the same substance" (ὁμοούσιος).

text: Christians overwhelmingly assert that monotheism is central to the Christian faith, as the Nicene Creed (and others), which gives the orthodox Christian definition of the Trinity, begins: "I believe in one God". From earlier than the times of the Nicene Creed, 325 CE, various Christian figures advocated[52] the triune mystery-nature of God as a normative profession of faith. According to Roger E. Olson and Christopher Hall, through prayer, meditation, study and practice, the Christian community concluded "that God must exist as both a unity and trinity", codifying this in ecumenical council at the end of the 4th century.[53]

text: Most modern Christians believe the Godhead is triune, meaning that the three persons of the Trinity are in one union in which each person is also wholly God. They also hold to the doctrine of a man-god Christ Jesus as God incarnate. These Christians also do not believe that one of the three divine figures is God alone and the other two are not but that all three are mysteriously God and one. Other Christian religions, including Unitarian Universalism, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism and others, do not share those views on the Trinity.

text: Some Christian faiths, such as Mormonism, argue that the Godhead is in fact three separate individuals which include God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.[54] Each individual having a distinct purpose in the grand existence of human kind.[55] Furthermore, Mormons believe that before the Council of Nicaea, the predominant belief among many early Christians was that the Godhead was three separate individuals. In support of this view, they cite early Christian examples of belief in subordinationism.[56]

text: Unitarianism is a theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism.[57]

text: Islam[edit]

text: In Islam, God (Allāh) is all-powerful and all-knowing, the creator, sustainer, ordainer and judge of the universe.[58][59] God in Islam is strictly singular (tawhid)[60] unique (wahid) and inherently One (ahad), all-merciful and omnipotent.[61] Allāh exists without place[62] and the Qur'an states that "No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision. God is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things" (Qur'an 6:103)[59] Allāh is the only God and the same God worshiped in Christianity and Judaism. (29:46).[63]

text: Islam emerged in the 7th century CE in the context of both Christianity and Judaism, with some thematic elements similar to Gnosticism.[64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71] Islamic belief states that Muhammad did not bring a new religion from God, but is rather the same religion as practiced by Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and all the other prophets of God.[72] The assertion of Islam is that the message of God had been corrupted, distorted or lost over time and the Quran was sent to Muhammad in order to correct the lost message of the Torah, New Testament and prior scriptures from God.[73]

text: The Qur'an asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique and indivisible being who is independent of the creation.[74] The Qur'an rejects binary modes of thinking such as the idea of a duality of God by arguing that both good and evil generate from God's creative act. God is a universal god rather than a local, tribal or parochial one; an absolute who integrates all affirmative values and brooks no evil.[75] Ash'ari theology, which dominated Sunni Islam from the tenth to the nineteenth century, insists on ultimate divine transcendence and holds that divine unity is not accessible to human reason. Ash'arism teaches that human knowledge regarding it is limited to what was has been revealed through the prophets, and on such paradoxes as God's creation of evil, revelation has to accepted bila kayfa (without [asking] how).[76]

text: Tawhid constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim profession of faith, "There is no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.[77] To attribute divinity to a created entity is the only unpardonable sin mentioned in the Qur'an.[75] The entirety of the Islamic teaching rests on the principle of tawhid.[78]

text: As they traditionally profess a concept of monotheism with a singular person as God, Judaism[44] and Islam reject the Christian idea of monotheism. Judaism uses the term Shituf to refer to non-monotheistic ways of worshiping God. Though Muslims venerate Jesus (Isa in Arabic) as a prophet, they do not accept the doctrine that he was a begotten son of God.

text: Sabianism[edit]

text: According to the Quran, the Sabians were a monotheistic religious group.[79] Some Hadiths account them as converts to Islam.[80] However this interpretation may be related to the fact that Quraysh polytheists used to describe anyone who converted to Islam with the word "Saba"[citation needed] (صبى/صبوت) which may either mean that this term was used for anyone who changed his religion or that they identified the message of Muhammed as a "Sabian belief". The former linguistic explanation (i.e. saba = changed his religion) is the one adopted by most Muslim scholars.

text: Sabians are often identified with Mandaeism, a small monotheistic community which lives today in Iraq and call themselves Yahyawiya (Arabic: يحياوية). Muslim scholars traditionally viewed them as followers of the prophets Noah and Yahya (i.e. John the Baptist).[81]

text: Bahá'í Faith[edit]

text: God in the Bahá'í Faith is taught to be a personal god, too great for humans to fully comprehend. Human primitive understanding of God is achieved through his revelations via his divine intermediary Manifestations.[82][83] In the Bahá'í faith, such Christian doctrines as the Trinity are seen as compromising the Bahá'í view that God is single and has no equal.[84] And the very existence of the Bahá'í Faith is a challenge to the Islamic doctrine of the finality of Muhammad's revelation.[85] God in the Bahá'í Faith communicates to humanity through divine intermediaries, known as Manifestations of God.[86] These Manifestations establish religion in the world.[83] It is through these divine intermediaries that humans can approach God, and through them God brings divine revelation and law.[87]

text: The Oneness of God is one of the core teachings of the Bahá'í Faith. The obligatory prayers in the Bahá'í Faith involve explicit monotheistic testimony.[88][89] God is the imperishable, uncreated being who is the source of all existence.[90] He is described as "a personal God, unknowable, inaccessible, the source of all Revelation, eternal, omniscient, omnipresent and almighty".[91][92] Although transcendent and inaccessible directly, his image is reflected in his creation. The purpose of creation is for the created to have the capacity to know and love its creator.[93] God communicates his will and purpose to humanity through intermediaries, known as Manifestations of God, who are the prophets and messengers that have founded religions from prehistoric times up to the present day.[86]

text: Atenism[edit]

text: Amenhotep IV initially introduced Atenism in Year 5 of his reign (1348/1346 BCE) during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom. He raised Aten, once a relatively obscure Egyptian Solar deity representing the disk of the sun, to the status of Supreme God in the Egyptian pantheon.[94] To emphasise the change, Aten's name was written in the cartouche form normally reserved for Pharaohs, an innovation of Atenism. This religious reformation appears to coincide with the proclamation of a Sed festival, a sort of royal jubilee intended to reinforce the Pharaoh's divine powers of kingship. Traditionally held in the thirtieth year of the Pharaoh's reign, this possibly was a festival in honour of Amenhotep III, who some Egyptologists think had a coregency with his son Amenhotep IV of two to twelve years.

text: Year 5 is believed to mark the beginning of Amenhotep IV's construction of a new capital, Akhetaten (Horizon of the Aten), at the site known today as Amarna. Evidence of this appears on three of the boundary stelae used to mark the boundaries of this new capital. At this time, Amenhotep IV officially changed his name to Akhenaten (Agreeable to Aten) as evidence of his new worship. The date given for the event has been estimated to fall around January 2 of that year. In Year 7 of his reign (1346/1344 BCE), the capital was moved from Thebes to Akhetaten (near modern Amarna), though construction of the city seems to have continued for two more years. In shifting his court from the traditional ceremonial centres Akhenaten was signalling a dramatic transformation in the focus of religious and political power.

text: The move separated the Pharaoh and his court from the influence of the priesthood and from the traditional centres of worship, but his decree had deeper religious significance too—taken in conjunction with his name change, it is possible that the move to Amarna was also meant as a signal of Akhenaten's symbolic death and rebirth. It may also have coincided with the death of his father and the end of the coregency. In addition to constructing a new capital in honor of Aten, Akhenaten also oversaw the construction of some of the most massive temple complexes in ancient Egypt, including one at Karnak and one at Thebes, close to the old temple of Amun.

text: In Year 9 (1344/1342 BCE), Akhenaten declared a more radical version of his new religion, declaring Aten not merely the supreme god of the Egyptian pantheon, but the only God of Egypt, with himself as the sole intermediary between the Aten and the Egyptian people. Key features of Atenism included a ban on idols and other images of the Aten, with the exception of a rayed solar disc, in which the rays (commonly depicted ending in hands) appear to represent the unseen spirit of Aten. Aten was addressed by Akhenaten in prayers, such as the Great Hymn to the Aten: "O Sole God beside whom there is none".

text: The details of Atenist theology are still unclear. The exclusion of all but one god and the prohibition of idols was a radical departure from Egyptian tradition, but most scholars see Akhenaten as a practitioner of monolatry rather than monotheism, as he did not actively deny the existence of other gods; he simply refrained from worshiping any but Aten. It is known that Atenism did not solely attribute divinity to the Aten. Akhenaten continued the cult of the Pharaoh, proclaiming himself the son of Aten and encouraging the Egyptian people to worship him.[95] The Egyptian people were to worship Akhenaten; only Akhenaten and Nefertiti could worship Aten directly.[96]

text: Under Akhenaten's successors, Egypt reverted to its traditional religion, and Akhenaten himself came to be reviled as a heretic.

text: Chinese view[edit]

text: The orthodox faith system held by most dynasties of China since at least the Shang Dynasty (1766 BCE) until the modern period centered on the worship of Shangdi (literally "Above Sovereign", generally translated as "God") or Heaven as an omnipotent force.[97] This faith system pre-dated the development of Confucianism and Taoism and the introduction of Buddhism and Christianity. It has features of monotheism in that Heaven is seen as an omnipotent entity, a noncorporeal force with a personality transcending the world. From the writings of Confucius in the Analects, it is known Confucius believed that Heaven cannot be deceived, Heaven guides people's lives and maintains a personal relationship with them, and that Heaven gives tasks for people to fulfill in order to teach them of virtues and morality.[97] However, this faith system was not truly monotheistic since other lesser gods and spirits, which varied with locality, were also worshiped along with Shangdi. Still, later variants such as Mohism (470 BCE–c.391 BCE) approached true monotheism, teaching that the function of lesser gods and ancestral spirits is merely to carry out the will of Shangdi, akin to angels in Abrahamic religions. In Mozi's Will of Heaven (天志), he writes:

text:
"I know Heaven loves men dearly not without reason. Heaven ordered the sun, the moon, and the stars to enlighten and guide them. Heaven ordained the four seasons, Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer, to regulate them. Heaven sent down snow, frost, rain, and dew to grow the five grains and flax and silk that so the people could use and enjoy them. Heaven established the hills and rivers, ravines and valleys, and arranged many things to minister to man's good or bring him evil. He appointed the dukes and lords to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked, and to gather metal and wood, birds and beasts, and to engage in cultivating the five grains and flax and silk to provide for the people's food and clothing. This has been so from antiquity to the present." 且吾所以知天之愛民之厚者有矣，曰以磨為日月星辰，以昭道之；制為四時春秋冬夏，以紀綱之；雷降雪霜雨露，以長遂五穀麻絲，使民得而財利之；列為山川谿谷，播賦百事，以臨司民之善否；為王公侯伯，使之賞賢而罰暴；賊金木鳥獸，從事乎五穀麻絲，以為民衣食之財。自古及今，未嘗不有此也。

Will of Heaven, Chapter 27, Paragraph 6, ca. 5th century BCE

tag: div

text: Worship of Shangdi and Heaven in ancient China includes the erection of shrines, the last and greatest being the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and the offering of prayers. The ruler of China in every Chinese dynasty would perform annual sacrificial rituals to Shangdi, usually by slaughtering a completely healthy bull as sacrifice. Although its popularity gradually diminished after the advent of Taoism and Buddhism, among other religions, its concepts remained in use throughout the pre-modern period and have been incorporated in later religions in China, including terminology used by early Christians in China. Despite the rising of non-theistic and pantheistic spirituality contributed by Taoism and Buddhism, Shangdi was still praised up until the end of the Qing Dynasty as the last ruler of the Qing declared himself son of heaven.

text: Indigenous African religion[edit]

text: The Himba people of Namibia practice a form of monotheistic panentheism, and worship the god Mukuru. The deceased ancestors of the Himba and Herero are subservient to him, acting as intermediaries.[98]

text: The Igbo people practice a form of monotheism called Odinani.[99] Odinani has monotheistic and panentheistic attributes, having a single God as the source of all things. Although a pantheon of spirits exists, these are lesser spirits prevalent in Odinani expressly serving as elements of Chineke (or Chukwu), the supreme being or high god.

text: Some (approximately 3%) of Oromo people follow a traditional monotheistic religion called Waaqeffannaa and God called Waaq.

text: Indo-European religions[edit]

text: Proto-Indo-European religion[edit]

text: The supreme god of the Proto-Indo-European religion was the god *Dyḗus Pḥatḗr . A number of words derived from the name of this supreme deity are used in various Indo-European languages to denote a monotheistic God. Nonetheless, in spite of this, Proto-Indo-European religion itself was not monotheistic.[100]

text: In western Eurasia, the ancient traditions of the Slavic religion contained elements of monotheism. In the sixth century AD, the Byzantine chronicler Procopius recorded that the Slavs "acknowledge that one god, creator of lightning, is the only lord of all: to him do they sacrifice an ox and all sacrificial animals."[101] The deity to whom Procopius is referring is the storm god Perún, whose name is derived from *Perkwunos, the Proto-Indo-European god of lightning. The ancient Slavs syncretized him with the Germanic god Thor and the Biblical prophet Elijah.[102]

text: Indo-Iranian religions[edit]

text: Hinduism[edit]

text: As an old religion, Hinduism inherits religious concepts spanning monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism, and atheism among others;[103][104][105][106] and its concept of God is complex and depends upon each individual and the tradition and philosophy followed.

text: Hindu views are broad and range from monism, through pantheism and panentheism (alternatively called monistic theism by some scholars) to monotheism and even atheism. Hinduism cannot be said to be purely polytheistic. Hindu religious leaders have repeatedly stressed that while God's forms are many and the ways to communicate with him are many, God is one. The puja of the murti is a way to communicate with the abstract one god (Brahman) which creates, sustains and dissolves creation.[107]

text: Rig Veda 1.164.46,

text: Traditions of Gaudiya Vaishnavas, the Nimbarka Sampradaya and followers of Swaminarayan and Vallabha consider Krishna to be the source of all avatars,[108] and the source of Vishnu himself, or to be the same as Narayana. As such, he is therefore regarded as Svayam Bhagavan.[109][110][111]

text: When Krishna is recognized to be Svayam Bhagavan, it can be understood that this is the belief of Gaudiya Vaishnavism,[112] the Vallabha Sampradaya,[113] and the Nimbarka Sampradaya, where Krishna is accepted to be the source of all other avatars, and the source of Vishnu himself. This belief is drawn primarily "from the famous statement of the Bhagavatam"[114] (1.3.28).[115] A viewpoint differing from this theological concept is the concept of Krishna as an avatar of Narayana or Vishnu. It should be however noted that although it is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avataras, this is only one of the names of the God of Vaishnavism, who is also known as Narayana, Vasudeva and Krishna and behind each of those names there is a divine figure with attributed supremacy in Vaishnavism.[116]

text: The Rig Veda discusses monotheistic thought, as do the Atharva Veda and Yajur Veda: "Devas are always looking to the supreme abode of Vishnu" (tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sṻrayaḥ Rig Veda 1.22.20)

text: "The One Truth, sages know by many names" (Rig Veda 1.164.46)[117]

text: "When at first the unborn sprung into being, He won His own dominion beyond which nothing higher has been in existence" (Atharva Veda 10.7.31)[118]

text: "There is none to compare with Him. There is no parallel to Him, whose glory, verily, is great." (Yajur Veda 32.3)[119]

text: The number of auspicious qualities of God are countless, with the following six qualities (bhaga) being the most important:

text:
Jñāna (omniscience), defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously
Aishvarya (sovereignty, derived from the word Ishvara), which consists in unchallenged rule over all
Shakti (energy), or power, which is the capacity to make the impossible possible
Bala (strength), which is the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue
Vīrya (vigor), which indicates the power to retain immateriality as the supreme being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations
Tejas (splendor), which expresses His self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by His spiritual effulgence[120]

text: In the Shaivite tradition, the Shri Rudram (Sanskrit श्रि रुद्रम्), to which the Chamakam (चमकम्) is added by scriptural tradition, is a Hindu stotra dedicated to Rudra (an epithet of Shiva), taken from the Yajurveda (TS 4.5, 4.7).[121][122] Shri Rudram is also known as Sri Rudraprasna, Śatarudrīya, and Rudradhyaya. The text is important in Vedanta where Shiva is equated to the Universal supreme God. The hymn is an early example of enumerating the names of a deity,[123] a tradition developed extensively in the sahasranama literature of Hinduism.

text: The Nyaya school of Hinduism has made several arguments regarding a monotheistic view. The Naiyanikas have given an argument that such a god can only be one. In the Nyaya Kusumanjali, this is discussed against the proposition of the Mimamsa school that let us assume there were many demigods (devas) and sages (rishis) in the beginning, who wrote the Vedas and created the world. Nyaya says that:

text: [If they assume such] omniscient beings, those endowed with the various superhuman faculties of assuming infinitesimal size, and so on, and capable of creating everything, then we reply that the law of parsimony bids us assume only one such, namely Him, the adorable Lord. There can be no confidence in a non-eternal and non-omniscient being, and hence it follows that according to the system which rejects God, the tradition of the Veda is simultaneously overthrown; there is no other way open.[citation needed]

text: In other words, Nyaya says that the polytheist would have to give elaborate proofs for the existence and origin of his several celestial spirits, none of which would be logical, and that it is more logical to assume one eternal, omniscient god.[124]

text: Sikhism[edit]

text: Sikhi is a monotheistic[125][126] and a revealed religion.[127] God in Sikhi is called Vāhigurū, and is shapeless, timeless, and sightless: niraṅkār, akaal, and alakh. God is present (sarav viāpak) in all of creation. God must be seen from "the inward eye", or the "heart". Sikhi devotees must meditate to progress towards enlightenment, as its rigorous application permits the existence of communication between God and human beings.[128]

text: Sikhism is a monotheistic faith[129][130] that arose in northern India during the 16th and 17th centuries. Sikhs believe in one, timeless, omnipresent, supreme creator. The opening verse of the Guru Granth Sahib, known as the Mul Mantra, signifies this:

text: The word "ੴ" ("Ik ōaṅkār") has two components. The first is ੧, the digit "1" in Gurmukhi signifying the singularity of the creator. Together the word means: "One Universal creator God".

text: It is often said that the 1430 pages of the Guru Granth Sahib are all expansions on the Mul Mantra. Although the Sikhs have many names for God, some derived from Islam and Hinduism, they all refer to the same Supreme Being.

text: The Sikh holy scriptures refer to the One God who pervades the whole of space and is the creator of all beings in the universe. The following quotation from the Guru Granth Sahib highlights this point:

text: "Chant, and meditate on the One God, who permeates and pervades the many beings of the whole Universe. God created it, and God spreads through it everywhere. Everywhere I look, I see God. The Perfect Lord is perfectly pervading and permeating the water, the land and the sky; there is no place without Him."

text: However, there is a strong case for arguing that the Guru Granth Sahib teaches monism due to its non-dualistic tendencies:

text: Punjabi: ਸਹਸ ਪਦ ਬਿਮਲ ਨਨ ਏਕ ਪਦ ਗੰਧ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਹਸ ਤਵ ਗੰਧ ਇਵ ਚਲਤ ਮੋਹੀ ॥੨॥

text: Sikhs believe that God has been given many names, but they all refer to the One God, VāhiGurū. Sikhs believe that members of other religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Christianity all worship the same God, and the names Allah, Rahim, Karim, Hari, Raam and Paarbrahm are frequently mentioned in the Sikh holy scriptures. Although there is no set reference to God in Sikhism, the most commonly used Sikh reference to God is Akal Purakh (which means "the true immortal") or Waheguru, the Primal Being.

text: Zoroastrianism[edit]

text: Zoroastrianism combines cosmogonic dualism and eschatological monotheism which makes it unique among the religions of the world. Zoroastrianism proclaims an evolution through time from dualism to monotheism.[131]

text: Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion,[132] although Zoroastrianism is often regarded[133] as dualistic, duotheistic or bitheistic, for its belief in the hypostatis of the ultimately good Ahura Mazda (creative spirit) and the ultimately evil Angra Mainyu (destructive spirit). Zorastrianism was once one of the largest religions on Earth, as the official religion of the Persian Empire. By some scholars,[who?] the Zoroastrians ("Parsis" or "Zartoshtis") are credited with being some of the first monotheists and having had influence on other world religions. Gathered statistics shows the number of adherents at as many as 3.5 million,[134] with adherents living in many regions, including South Asia.

text: Ancient Greek religion[edit]

text: Classical Greece[edit]

text: The surviving fragments of the poems of the classical Greek philosopher Xenophanes of Colophon suggest that he held views very similar to those of modern monotheists.[135] His poems harshly criticize the traditional notion of anthropomorphic gods, commenting that "...if cattle and horses and lions had hands or could paint with their hands and create works such as men do,... [they] also would depict the gods' shapes and make their bodies of such a sort as the form they themselves have."[136] Instead, Xenophanes declares that there is "...one god, greatest among gods and humans, like mortals neither in form nor in thought."[137] Xenophanes's theology appears to have been monist, but not truly monotheistic in the strictest sense.[26] Although some later philosophers, such as Antisthenes, believed in doctrines similar to those expounded by Xenophanes, his ideas do not appear to have become widely popular.[26]

text: Although Plato himself was a polytheist, in his writings, he often presents Socrates as speaking of "the god" in the singular form. He does, however, often speak of the gods in the plural form as well. The Euthyphro dilemma, for example, is formulated as "Is that which is holy loved by the gods because it is holy, or is it holy because it is loved by the gods?"[138]

text: Hellenistic Religion[edit]

text: The development of pure (philosophical) monotheism is a product of the Late Antiquity. During the 2nd to 3rd centuries, early Christianity was just one of several competing religious movements advocating monotheism.

text: "The One" (Τὸ Ἕν) is a concept that is prominent in the writings of the Neoplatonists, especially those of the philosopher Plotinus.[139] In the writings of Plotinus, "The One" is described as an inconceivable, transcendent, all-embodying, permanent, eternal, causative entity that permeates throughout all of existence.[140]

text: A number of oracles of Apollo from Didyma and Clarus, the so-called "theological oracles", dated to the 2nd and 3rd century CE, proclaim that there is only one highest god, of whom the gods of polytheistic religions are mere manifestations or servants.[141] 4th century CE Cyprus had, besides Christianity, an apparently monotheistic cult of Dionysus.[142]

text: Aristotle's concept of the "Uncaused Cause"—never incorporated into the polytheistic ancient Greek religion—has been used by many exponents of Abrahamic religions to justify their arguments for the existence of the Judeo-Christian-Islamic God of the Abrahamic religions.

text: The Hypsistarians were a religious group who believed in a most high god, according to Greek documents. Later revisions of this Hellenic religion were adjusted towards Monotheism as it gained consideration among a wider populace. The worship of Zeus as the head-god signaled a trend in the direction of monotheism, with less honour paid to the fragmented powers of the lesser gods.

text: New religious movements[edit]

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2012)

text: Various New religious movements, such as Cao Đài, Tenrikyo, Seicho no Ie, and Cheondoism, are monotheistic.

text: Tengrism[edit]

text: Tengrism or Tangrism (sometimes stylized as Tengriism), occasionally referred to as Tengrianism , is a modern term[143] for a Central Asian religion characterized by features of shamanism, animism, totemism, both polytheism and monotheism,[144][145][146][147] and ancestor worship. Historically, it was the prevailing religion of the Bulgarians, Turks, Mongols, and Hungarians, as well as the Xiongnu and the Huns.[148][149] It was the state religion of the six ancient Turkic states: Avar Khaganate, Old Great Bulgaria, First Bulgarian Empire, Göktürks Khaganate, Eastern Tourkia and Western Turkic Khaganate. In Irk Bitig, Tengri is mentioned as Türük Tängrisi (God of Turks).[150] The term is perceived among Turkic peoples as a national religion.

text: In Sino-Tibetan and Turco-Mongol traditions, the Supreme God is commonly referred to as the ruler of Heaven, or the Sky Lord granted with omnipotent powers, but it has largely diminished in those regions due to ancestor worship, Taoism's pantheistic views and Buddhism's rejection of a creator God, although Mahayana Buddhism does seem to keep a sense of divinity. On some occasions in the mythology, the Sky Lord as identified as a male has been associated to mate with an Earth Mother, while some traditions kept the omnipotence of the Sky Lord unshared.

text: Native American religion[edit]

text: Native American theology may be monotheistic, polytheistic, henotheistic, animistic, or some combination thereof.

text: Cherokee for example are monotheist as well as pantheist.

text: The Great Spirit, called Wakan Tanka among the Sioux,[151] and Gitche Manitou in Algonquian, is a conception of universal spiritual force, or supreme being prevalent among some Native American and First Nation cultures.[152] According to Lakota activist Russell Means a better translation of Wakan Tanka is the Great Mystery.[153]

text: Some researchers have interpreted Aztec philosophy as fundamentally monotheistic or panentheistic. While the populace at large believed in a polytheistic pantheon, Aztec priests and nobles might have come to an interpretation of Teotl as a single universal force with many facets.[154] There has been criticism to this idea, however, most notably that many assertions of this supposed monotheism might actually come from post-Conquistador bias, imposing an Antiquity pagan model unto the Aztec.[155]


document_title: Medical Center of the Rockies

question_text: when did medical center of the rockies open

root

text: Medical Center of the Rockies

text: This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. (November 2007) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text:
Medical Center of the Rockies

Poudre Valley Health System

Geography

Location
2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue, Loveland, Colorado, Colorado, United States

Services

Emergency department
Level II trauma center

Beds
166

History

Founded
February 2006

Links

Website
Official website

Lists
Hospitals in Colorado

text: Coordinates: 40°24′56.12″N 104°59′52.15″W / 40.4155889°N 104.9978194°W / 40.4155889; -104.9978194

tag: p

text: Medical Center of the Rockies, located in Loveland, Colorado, is the sister hospital of Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. Both are operated by UCHealth. The hospital is home to a regional heart center where open heart surgery is performed; a regional neurosciences center that cares for victims of head and back injury, stroke, spinal cord and nervous system diseases, as well as several neurosurgical intensive care beds.

text: History[edit]

text: Medical Center of the Rockies opened to patients on Valentine's Day 2007, to relieve crowding in Poudre Valley Hospital, and provide better access to patients from outside of Fort Collins, Larimer County, and even the state of Colorado. Poudre Valley Hospital did not close as a result of the new hospitals opening, but downgraded its trauma center from a state approved level II to an also approved level III and now focuses much more on orthopedic care, and cancer treatment than MCR.

text: Facilities[edit]

text: The hospital has 136 licensed beds, all in private rooms that are not separated by curtains. The Hospital operates multiple surgical suites as part of its "Heart Center of the Rockies" that are also used for trauma patients, and others.

text: The hospital is equipped with two helicopter landing pads

text: The hospital offers a number of facilities available for use by patients families, including an outdoor courtyard, a chapel, and comfortable facilities for families and relatives that serve as waiting rooms.


document_title: Ponderosa Ranch

question_text: where was the ponderosa supposed to be located

text: Ponderosa Ranch

text: Origins[edit]

text: TV origins of the fictional Ponderosa Ranch[edit]

text: The Ponderosa was the fictional setting for Bonanza. According to the 9th episode ("Mr. Henry Comstock") in the first season, it was a thousand-square mile (640,000 acre or 2,600 km2) ranch on the shores of Lake Tahoe, nestled high in the Sierra Nevada, with a large ranch house in the center of it.[1] Ben Cartwright was said to have built the original, smaller homestead after moving from New Orleans with his pregnant third wife Marie and his two sons, Adam and Hoss. The grown Adam, an architect/engineer, designed the later sprawling ranch house as depicted on TV ("Bonanza, The Philip Diedesheimer Story", Oct. 31, 1959, NBC-TV; Bonanza: The Return, April 1993, NBC-TV). The fictional ranch was roughly a two-hour horse ride from Virginia City, Nevada. (Note: There are slight variations as to the origin of the Ponderosa Ranch, from the original Bonanza series, Lorne Greene's 1964 song "Saga of the Ponderosa", the 1988-95 TV movies, and the 2001 PAX prequel series Ponderosa). The ranch house was a single level structure that had a facade second storey. Inside a staircase seemingly led to the first-floor corridor, but it was a dead end. The bedroom scenes were filmed at Burbank Studios. The inspiration for the name may have been the large number of Ponderosa pines in the area or the original Latin meaning of large (root of the English word ponderous). The exteriors for the television show were occasionally shot in Nevada, usually out of sequence. Crews were sometimes able to complete an entire season's work in just a few days.

text: The first Virginia City set used on the show from 1959–1970 was located on a back lot at Paramount. It was also used in episodes of Have Gun, Will Travel, Mannix and The Brady Bunch. In the 1970 Bonanza episode "The Night Virginia City Died", Deputy Clem Foster's pyromaniac fiancee leveled the town in a series of fires. This allowed for a switch to the less-expensive Warner Studios from September 1970 through January 1973. Very few of the original Bonanza episodes were shot at the theme park's Virginia City site, although the town was prominently featured in three Bonanza television movies. Because the movies showcased the next generation of Cartwrights, they began circa 1905. The Ponderosa park expanded beyond the buggy era to include an exhibit featuring antique cars. It was a fledgling endeavor as tourists wanted to see horses flanked by Cartwright saddles.

text: Origins of the theme park[edit]

text: The idea for the theme park came about in 1965. Bill and Joyce Anderson owned a small horse ranch, which is located in about the same area as the fictional Ponderosa on the burning map. According to the Andersons, tourists would regularly show up at their gates asking where the Ponderosa was. Smelling opportunity, the Andersons contacted NBC and Bonanza creator-producer David Dortort. They proposed turning their small ranch into a theme park. NBC, Dortort, and the cast saw the tie-in as a "bonanza" for everyone.[2] All parties being of one accord, the cast agreed to promos being shot at the ranch site and the Virginia City set - including the nearby Silver Dollar Saloon - for financial consideration. The ads stimulated revenue for the park.

text: The park opened to the public in 1967, complete with a scale replica of the Cartwright ranch house and barn similar to the ones seen on television. A replica of Virginia City was later added. The original plan was to open the set to tourists once filming had wrapped. However, shuttling cast and crew up to Incline Village on a weekly basis became cost-prohibitive. Thus, only 15 episodes of Bonanza were shot there. A majority of ranch-specific scenes were shot on a sound stage at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. Outdoor scenes were filmed on location at nearby Big Bear Lake, Red Rock Canyon, Mojave, or eastern Kern County, California. However, Michael Landon, Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker, and David Canary often made appearances at the ranch in costume to mingle with fans and sign autographs. Blocker died in 1972, and NBC canceled the series the following year. Canary, dressed in character as Candy, made his last visit there in 2002 for a PAX-TV special. Mitch Vogel (Jamie Cartwright) appeared at the ranch for the Travel Channel's "TV Road Trip" in 2002, in which he pitched a behind-the-scenes look at the Ponderosa Ranch and Incline Village. Copies of the "Ponderosa Map", autographed by three of the Cartwrights, became souvenirs at the ranch for decades afterward, along with tin cups bearing their likenesses. Episodes that were filmed entirely or in part at the ranch bear a title plate at the end of the credits. These episodes are from the tenth season through the end of the series (1968–73).

text: The Ponderosa Experience[edit]

text: Parking for visitors was at the highway level; only official vehicles, such as the park's Conestoga wagons, were allowed at the top of the ridge, where the park was located. Depending on the time of day, a park visit could include breakfast. Lunch, including a "Hoss Burger", could also be purchased. Estimates are that more than three million of these were sold during the park's existence.

text: A visit to the park consisted of visitors riding up on the wagon, being "robbed" by "outlaws", and then disembarking at the main house. Adjacent to the house were the "graves" of Ben Cartwright's three wives, each of whom had given birth to one of the three (half) brothers. Graves of the Cartwrights and cook Hop Sing were later added, following the deaths of Dan Blocker (1972), Victor Sen Yung (1980), Lorne Greene (1987), and Michael Landon (1991). The house contained a less-than-realistic carved figure of Ben Cartwright sitting at his desk, and of Hop Sing working in the kitchen. The only parts of the house that actually existed were the living room, dining room, kitchen, and office. The stairs led nowhere, as the "bedrooms" were actually located on a sound stage in Hollywood. Thus, the tour of the house took very little time.

text: The main attraction was the ranch's version of Virginia City, which was miles from the real Virginia City but immediately adjacent to the rear of the house set (on the show, the ranch was about a two-hour ride on horseback from Virginia City). There were activities such as a haunted house, panning for gold, amusements based on old-time Wild West shows, as well as concessions and souvenirs.

text: Only the front of the ranch house was ever shown on television because a highway ran directly to the right of the house. In episodes shot in-studio, the home exterior has a backdrop of sky and trees. The ranch house was a single-storey structure, although from the outside it appeared to have a second story. Little Joe's green corduroy jacket and Hoss' brown suede vest were displayed hanging on a rack.

text: When the ranch opened in 1967, Pernell Roberts (Adam Cartwright) had long since departed the series. Consequently, he was not featured in Ponderosa's promotional campaign until after the show's initial run. At that time most of the shows broadcast in syndication featured the Adam Cartwright character. His picture was in the group painting on the sign promoting the park at the entrance. When the park folded in Autumn 2004 Pernell Roberts was still alive, so no Adam grave marker was added. Pernell Roberts died on January 24, 2010.

text: Near the main house were sculptures of the horses ridden by Lorne Greene, Dan Blocker and Michael Landon that visitors could have their pictures taken either on or alongside. The park also had a church that could be reserved for weddings near the church where the grave markers are located. In 1999, a VHS tour was made available to patrons. In 2002, David Canary appeared at the ranch in Candy's wardrobe for a special produced by PAX TV.

text: Closure[edit]

text: The ranch and park remained a popular seasonal attraction for decades after the network run of Bonanza ended, having outlived most of the series' original cast. Business remained strong into the late 1990s. The land was purchased by billionaire software entrepreneur David Duffield in 2004. In September 2004 he closed the Ponderosa "indefinitely".[3]


document_title: André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

question_text: who won the 2018 andre the giant battle royale

text: André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal

text: History[edit]

text: On the March 10, 2014 episode of Raw, WrestleMania XXX host Hulk Hogan announced that he was establishing the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in honor of André's legacy that would take place at the event on April 6, with the winner receiving the André the Giant Memorial Trophy (made in the likeness of André).[2] Cesaro would win the match after eliminating Big Show using a body slam similar to the body slam Hogan used on André at WrestleMania III.[3]

text: At WrestleMania 31 on March 29, 2015, the second annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place at Levi's Stadium as part of the Kickoff Show (pre-show), establishing the match as a yearly tradition at WWE's marquee event. Big Show - a wrestler often compared to André due to his similar size and stature, and originally billed as André's (storyline) son when he debuted in World Championship Wrestling in 1995 - won the match by last eliminating Damien Mizdow.[4]

text: At WrestleMania 32 on April 3, 2016, the third annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was held on the main card with Baron Corbin last eliminating Kane to win the match, which was also notable for former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal entering as a surprise participant.[5]

text: The fourth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal was held at WrestleMania 33 on April 2, 2017 as part of the Kickoff Show. The match was won by Mojo Rawley, who was assisted by his friend, NFL player Rob Gronkowski, in last eliminating Jinder Mahal to win.

text: The fifth annual André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal took place at the venue where the original match occurred - the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana - as part of WrestleMania 34 on April 8, 2018. The match was won by Matt Hardy who eliminated Baron Corbin to win.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Writing for PWInsider in 2017, Dave Scherer saw no reason for viewers to care about the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, given how winners have been booked and further said: "It's great that talent will get on the show for WrestleMania, but that match hasn't meant anything thus far."[6]

text: Winners[edit]

text:
Winner

Date

Location

WrestleMania

Last eliminated

Cesaro

April 6, 2014

New Orleans, Louisiana

XXX

Big Show

Big Show

March 29, 2015

Santa Clara, California

31

Damien Mizdow

Baron Corbin

April 3, 2016

Arlington, Texas

32

Kane

Mojo Rawley

April 2, 2017

Orlando, Florida

33

Jinder Mahal

Matt Hardy

April 8, 2018

New Orleans, Louisiana

34

Baron Corbin

text: Participants[edit]

text:
Superstar

XXX

31

32

33

34

Adam Rose

Aiden English

Alberto Del Rio

Alex Riley

Apollo (Crews)

Baron Corbin

Won

Big E

Big Show

Won

Bo Dallas

Brad Maddox

Braun Strowman

Brodus Clay

Cesaro
Won

Chad Gable

Cody Rhodes

Curt Hawkins

Curtis Axel

Damien Sandow/Mizdow

Darren Young

Dash Wilder

David Otunga

Diamond Dallas Page

Dolph Ziggler

Drew McIntyre

Epico/Fernando

Erick Rowan

Fandango

Goldust

The Great Khali

Heath Slater

Hideo Itami

Jack Swagger

Jason Jordan

Jey Uso

Jimmy Uso

Jinder Mahal

Justin Gabriel

Kalisto

Kane

Karl Anderson

Killian Dain

Kofi Kingston

Konnor

Luke Gallows

Luke Harper

Mark Henry

Matt Hardy

Won

Mike Kanellis

The Miz

Mojo Rawley

Won

Primo (Colón)/Diego

R-Truth

Rey Mysterio

Rhyno

Ryback

Sami Zayn

Santino Marella

Scott Dawson

Shaquille O'Neal

Sheamus

Shelton Benjamin

Simon Gotch

Sin Cara

Tatanka

Tian Bing

Titus O'Neil

Tye Dillinger

Tyler Breeze

Tyson Kidd

Viktor

Xavier Woods

Yoshi Tatsu

Zack Ryder


document_title: Forbes' list of the world's highest-paid athletes

question_text: who gets paid the most in professional sports

text: 2017 list

text: The 2017 list:[1]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$93 million
$58 million
$35 million

2
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$86.2 million
$31.2 million
$55 million

3
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$80 million
$53 million
$27 million

4
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$64 million
$6 million
$58 million

5
Kevin Durant
Basketball
 United States
$60.6 million
$26.6 million
$34 million

6
Andrew Luck
American football
 United States
$50 million
$47 million
$3 million

6
Rory McIlroy
Golf
 Northern Ireland
$50 million
$16 million
$34 million

8
Stephen Curry
Basketball
 United States
$47.3 million
$12.3 million
$35 million

9
James Harden
Basketball
 United States
$46.6 million
$26.6 million
$20 million

10
Lewis Hamilton
Auto racing
 England
$46 million
$38 million
$8 million

text: 2016 list

text: The 2016 list:[2]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$88 million
$56 million
$32 million

2
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$81.4 million
$53.4 million
$28 million

3
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$77.2 million
$23.2 million
$54 million

4
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$67.8 million
$7.8 million
$60 million

5
Kevin Durant
Basketball
 United States
$56.2 million
$20.2 million
$36 million

6
Novak Djokovic
Tennis
 Serbia
$55.8 million
$21.8 million
$34 million

7
Cam Newton
American football
 United States
$53.1 million
$41.1 million
$12 million

8
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$52.9 million
$2.9 million
$50 million

9
Jordan Spieth
Golf
 United States
$52.8 million
$20.8 million
$32 million

10
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$50 million
$25 million
$25 million

text: 2015 list

text: The 2015 list was released on 10 June 2015.[3]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
 United States
$300 million
$285 million
$15 million

2
Manny Pacquiao
Boxing
 Philippines
$160 million
$148 million
$12 million

3
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$79.6 million
$52.6 million
$27 million

4
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$73.8 million
$51.8 million
$22 million

5
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$67 million
$9 million
$58 million

6
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$64.8 million
$20.8 million
$44 million

7
Kevin Durant
Basketball
 United States
$54.1 million
$19.1 million
$35 million

8
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$50.8 million
$2.8 million
$48 million

9
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$50.6 million
$0.6 million
$50 million

10
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$49.5 million
$23.5 million
$26 million

text: 2014 list

text: The 2014 list was released on 11 June 2014.[4]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
 United States
$105 million
$105 million
$0

2
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$80 million
$52 million
$28 million

3
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$72.3 million
$19.3 million
$53 million

4
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$64.7 million
$41.7 million
$23 million

5
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$61.5 million
$30.5 million
$31 million

6
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$61.2 million
$6.2 million
$55 million

7
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$56.2 million
$4.2 million
$52 million

8
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$53.2 million
$5.2 million
$48 million

9
Rafael Nadal
Tennis
 Spain
$44.5 million
$14.5 million
$30 million

10
Matt Ryan
American football
 United States
$43.8 million
$42 million
$1.8 million

text: 2013 list

text: The 2013 list was released on 5 June 2013.[5]

text:
Rank

Name

Sport

Nation

Total

Salary/Winnings

Endorsements

1
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$78.1 million
$13.1 million
$65 million

2
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$71.5 million
$6.5 million
$65 million

3
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$61.9 million
$27.9 million
$34 million

4
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$59.8 million
$17.8 million
$42 million

5
Drew Brees
American football
 United States
$51 million
$40 million
$11 million

6
Aaron Rodgers
American football
 United States
$49 million
$43 million
$6 million

7
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$48.7 million
$4.7 million
$44 million

8
David Beckham
Association football
 England
$47.2 million
$5.2 million
$42 million

9
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$44 million
$23 million
$21 million

10
Lionel Messi
Association football
 Argentina
$41.3 million
$20.3 million
$21 million

text: 2012 list

text: The 2012 list was released on 18 June 2012.[6]

text:
Rank
Name
Sport
Nationality
Total earnings
Salary/winnings
Endorsements

1
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
 United States
$85 million
$85 million
$0

2
Manny Pacquiao
Boxing
 Philippines
$62 million
$56 million
$6 million

3
Tiger Woods
Golf
 United States
$59.4 million
$4.4 million
$55 million

4
LeBron James
Basketball
 United States
$53 million
$13 million
$40 million

5
Roger Federer
Tennis
 Switzerland
$52.7 million
$7.7 million
$45 million

6
Kobe Bryant
Basketball
 United States
$52.3 million
$20.3 million
$32 million

7
Phil Mickelson
Golf
 United States
$47.8 million
$4.8 million
$43 million

8
David Beckham
Association football
 England
$46 million
$9 million
$37 million

9
Cristiano Ronaldo
Association football
 Portugal
$42.5 million
$20.5 million
$22 million

10
Peyton Manning
American football
 United States
$42.4 million
$32.4 million
$10 million


document_title: Casey's General Stores

question_text: where was the first casey's store built

question_tokens: where was the first casey 's store built

text: Casey's General Stores

text: History[edit]

text: In 1959, Donald Lamberti leased a service station in Des Moines, Iowa, from his father. After successfully remodeling the station into a convenience store and operating it for nine years, his gasoline supplier and friend, Kurvin C. (K.C.) Fish, suggested that he purchase the Square Deal Oil Company, a service station available for sale in Boone, Iowa. Lamberti followed Fish's advice and purchased the station, which he renamed "Casey's" after Fish and as with his leased store converted the station into a convenience store. The logo on the Boone store is the same logo used today by the Casey's chain.

text: The Boone store (located in a town of only 12,500) did well, so Lamberti decided to see if he could duplicate his success.  He built another store in Creston, Iowa (population 7,000) and that store did well also.  Lamberti became more ambitious and decided to open a store from scratch in the even smaller town of Waukee, Iowa (population 1,500 at the time).  The Waukee store proved to be the most successful of the three, so Lamberti decided to purchase and open more stores, concentrating on towns of less than 5,000 population (a variation on the tactic used in the early success of Wal-Mart).

text: By the late 1970s (when Casey's opened its first warehouse) the chain had 118 stores, including the original store operated by Lamberti's parents which entered the Casey's fold in 1977.

text: In 1982, Casey's opened its first Distribution Center in Urbandale, Iowa.

text: Casey's became a publicly traded company in October, 1983, with an initial public offering of 700,000 shares.  Around this time Casey's began to sell doughnuts in its stores; in December 1984 it introduced pizza into its stores (which is one of its signature items today).

text: In 1990, Casey's moved to its current facility in Ankeny, Iowa.

text: Casey's 1,000th store opened in Altoona, Iowa in 1996, the same year Casey's exceeded US $1 billion in annual sales.

text: In January 2006, Casey's purchased Lincoln, Nebraska-based Gas 'N Shop.[2] On August 7, 2006, Casey's agreed to purchase the 33-store HandiMart chain, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in a $63 million deal.[3]

text: In March 2010, Alimentation Couche-Tard (operator of several convenience store chains, including Circle K) offered $1.9 billion for control of the company, and later announced a proxy fight for control.  Casey's rejected Couche-Tard's offer and was successful in September 2010 in retaining its board of directors vs. Couche-Tard's nominated slate.[4]

text: While Casey's and Couche-Tard were battling for company control, in September 2010, 7-Eleven offered a $2 billion bid for control of the company.  Casey's and 7-Eleven engaged in discussions, but in November 2010 elected not to proceed with a merger.[5]

text: Casey's announced in 2017 that it plans to open about 10 new locations in western Ohio.[6]

text: Recent expansions[edit]

text:
On October 12, 2010, Casey's announced the planned purchase of 19 "On The Way" stores in Illinois owned by Harper Oil Company, to be completed by November 2010 (Harper retained other stores and the On The Way name).[7]
On October 28, 2010, Casey's announced the purchase of six "Short Stop" stores in Iowa owned by J.D. Carpenter Companies, Inc.[8]
On November 3, 2010, Casey's announced the purchase of 44 "Kabredlo's" stores.[9]  The purchase, expected to be completed by December 2010, would include 22 stores in Nebraska, 21 in Kansas, and the first Casey's location to operate in the state of Oklahoma.
On March 28, 2011, a Casey's General Store opened in Bella Vista, Arkansas, the chain's first store to operate in that state.
Casey's further solidified its Iowa base in June 2011 with the announced purchase of twenty-two Kum & Go stores in Iowa, bringing its total store number in the state to 473. At least for the time being, the Kum & Go stores will remain in the current buildings but be rebranded with signage.[10]
On August 2, 2012, a Casey's General Store opened in Cadiz, Kentucky, the chain's first store to operate in that state.
On April 11, 2013, a Casey's General Store opened in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
Casey's is also present in Tennessee, with a store in Dyersburg, Tennessee.
On September 5, 2013, a Casey's General Store opened in DeSoto, Kansas, making it the third Casey's in Kansas City.
On October 1, 2013, a Casey's General Store opened in Horace, North Dakota, the chain's first store to operate in that state. Later acquisitions of the Fargo-based Stop n Go in 2014 expanded the chain in North Dakota.
On August 28, 2013, a Casey's General Store opened in Mayfield, Kentucky, only the chain's second store to operate in that state.
On August 21, 2014, a Casey's General Store opened in Clarksville, Arkansas.
On March 20, 2017, a Casey's General Store opened in Cridersville, Ohio, the first store to operate in the state.[11]
On September 22, 2017, a Casey's General Store opened in Peru, Indiana, the first of two stores to be opened in the town.
On November 30, 2017, Casey’s General Stores has opened it’s 2,000th location in Russelville, Kentucky.[12]
On April 13, 2018, a Casey's General Store opened in Watervliet, Michigan, the chain's first store to operate in the state.[13]

tag: ul

text: Casey's today[edit]

text: As of April 30, 2018, Casey's has 2,073 stores in 16 states. Casey's operates in the following states, most of which are in the Midwestern United States and the Plains States:

text:
Iowa
Illinois
Missouri
Kansas
Nebraska
Minnesota
Indiana
South Dakota
North Dakota
Wisconsin
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Kentucky
Tennessee
Ohio
Michigan

text: The store counts above include the purchases mentioned above.