title: Scientology

text: As noted, elements of the Eastern religions are evident in Scientology, in particular the concept of karma found in Hinduism and Jainism. In addition to the links to Hindu texts, Scientology draws from Taoism and Buddhism. According to the "Encyclopedia of Community", Scientology "shows affinities with Buddhism and a remarkable similarity to first-century Gnosticism".


title: Scientology

text: In the 1940s, Hubbard was in contact with Jack Parsons, a rocket scientist and member of the Ordo Templi Orientis then led by Aleister Crowley, and there have been suggestions that this connection influenced some of the ideas and symbols of Scientology.


title: Scientology

text: J. Gordon Melton writes that Scientology has its roots in Esoteric thought. He cited the significance of understanding Scientology's appeal as aligned with Esoteric tradition. He argues that Scientology is a "significant revision" and "meaningful revitalization" within the esoteric tradition. Melton states that Scientology can also be traced back to Gnosticism, Manicheanism, Freemasonry and Theosophy.


title: Scientology

text: According to James R. Lewis, Scientology is in the same lineage of supernatural religious movements such as New Thought. Scientology goes beyond this and refers to their religio-therapeutic practices as religious technology. Lewis wrote, "Scientology sees their psycho-spiritual technology as supplying the missing ingredient in existing technologies—namely, the therapeutic engineering of the human psyche."


title: Scientology

text: Hubbard was said to be an accomplished hypnotist, and close acquaintances such as Forrest Ackerman (Hubbard's literary agent) and A. E. van Vogt (an early supporter of Dianetics) witnessed repeated demonstrations of his hypnotic skills. Scientology literature states that L. Ron Hubbard expertise in hypnosis led to the discovery of the Dianetic engram. However, Hubbard wrote that hypnosis is a "wild variable", and compared parlor hypnosis to an atom bomb. He also wrote:


title: Scientology

text: The word "Scientology", as coined by L. Ron Hubbard, is a derivation from the Latin word "scientia" ("knowledge", "skill"), which comes from the verb "scīre" ("to know"), with the suffix -ology, from the Greek λόγος "lógos" ("word" or "account [of]"). Scientology is further defined as "the study and handling of the spirit in relationship to itself, universes, and other life".


title: Scientology

text: The term scientology had been used in published works at least twice before Hubbard. In "The New Word" (1901) poet and lawyer Allen Upward first used scientology to mean blind, unthinking acceptance of scientific doctrine (compare scientism). In 1934, philosopher Anastasius Nordenholz published "Scientology: Science of the Constitution and Usefulness of Knowledge", which used the term to mean the science of science. It is unknown whether Hubbard was aware of either prior usage of the word.


title: Scientology

text: The ARC and KRC triangles are concept maps which show a relationship between three concepts to form another concept. These two triangles are present in the Scientology symbol. The lower triangle, the ARC triangle, is a summary representation of the knowledge the Scientologist strives for. It encompasses Affinity" (affection, love or liking), Reality" (consensual reality) and Communication" (the exchange of ideas). Scientology teaches that improving one of the three aspects of the triangle "increases the level" of the other two, but Communication is held to be the most important. The upper triangle is the KRC triangle, the letters KRC positing a similar relationship between Knowledge", Responsibility" and Control".


title: Scientology

text: Among Scientologists, the letters ARC are used as an affectionate greeting in personal communication, for example at the end of a letter. Social problems are ascribed to breakdowns in ARC – in other words, a lack of agreement on reality, a failure to communicate effectively, or a failure to develop affinity. These can take the form of "overts" – harmful acts against another, either intentionally or by omission – which are usually followed by "withholds" – efforts to conceal the wrongdoing, which further increase the level of tension in the relationship.


title: Scientology

text: Scientologists seek to attain spiritual development through study of Scientology materials and auditing. The subject (called "Technology" or "Tech" in Scientology jargon) is structured in a series of levels (or "gradients") of gradually increasing complexity. The sequence of study ("training") and auditing ("processing") levels is termed the "Bridge to Total Freedom", or simply "the Bridge". Training concerns primarily the principles and techniques of auditing. Processing is personal development through participation in auditing sessions.


title: Scientology

text: Members are required to make donations for study courses and auditing as they move up the Bridge, the amounts increasing as higher levels are reached. Participation in higher-level courses on the Bridge may cost several thousand dollars, and Scientologists usually move up the Bridge at a rate governed by their income.


title: Scientology

text: According to David G. Bromley, religious studies professor, working toward being an "Operating Thetan" means moving up the Bridge to Total Freedom, "which at the highest level transcends material law". He further emphasizes this belief of Scientologists: "You occasionally come across people in Scientology who say they can change the material world with their mind."


title: Scientology

text: Scientology has influenced a broad range of therapy and spiritual groups formed since the 1960s. Much past-life therapy was influenced by Dianetics, while Werner Erhard's Erhard Seminars Training therapy system also drew on Scientology. Paul Twitchell, who founded Eckankar, had also been a staff member at the Church of Scientology and plagiarised some of Hubbard's writings. In the 1960s, the Process Church of the Final Judgement was established by former Scientologists. In 1986 Harry Palmer – who had previously run a Scientology franchise mission in Elmira, New York for around a decade – established his own group, the Avatar Course.


title: Scientology

text: Academic research into Scientology was for a long time comparatively limited compared to the media and public interest in it. This has been attributed to the Church's secrecy, its reputation for litigiousness, and a lack of academic access to documentary material about the Church. Early studies included Roy Wallis' "The Road to Total Freedom" (1976) and Harriet Whitehead's "Renunciation and Reformulation" (1987). A handful of monographs and edited volumes followed, while in 2014, the first academic conference on the topic was held in Antwerp, Belgium. Several academics who have studied the movement have described the Church paying close attention to their work by telephoning them and sending representatives to attend their talks on the subject.


title: Scientology

text: Scientology was lampooned in the 2005 "South Park" episode "Trapped in the Closet". This publicized the story of Xenu, based directly on the actual Scientology Operating Thetan III document, and accompanied by an onscreen caption reading "This is what Scientologists actually believe". After explaining these beliefs, the character representing the Church of Scientology's president ultimately reveals to Stan that the organization is in reality a money-making scam.


title: Scientology

text: Paul Thomas Anderson's 2012 film "The Master" features a religious organization called "The Cause" that has many similarities to Scientology. Also, the character of Lancaster Dodd, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, shares a physical resemblance to Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.


title: Scientology

text: In April 2015, following the recent release of "Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief", "Saturday Night Live" aired a music video featuring the "Church of Neurotology", a parody of Scientology's 1990 music video "We Stand Tall".


title: Scientology

text: In November 2016, cable network A&E began airing "", a documentary series. Remini, a TV actress and star, was a member of the Church of Scientology for over 30 years and a public proponent of Scientology for years before a public falling out in 2013. She is an executive producer of the series. The series follows Remini and former Scientology executive Mike Rinder as they explore the history and workings of the Church, discuss their experiences and interview ex-members willing to speak out about alleged abuses of the Church. The initial episode drew 2.1 million viewers.


title: Danny DeVito

text: Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series "Taxi" (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He plays Frank Reynolds on the FX and FXX sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" (2006–present).


title: Danny DeVito

text: He is known for his film roles in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), "Terms of Endearment" (1983), "Romancing the Stone" (1984), "Throw Momma from the Train" (1987), "Twins" (1988), "The War of the Roses" (1989), "Batman Returns" (1992), "Jack the Bear" (1993), "Junior" (1994), "Get Shorty" (1995), "Matilda" (1996), "L.A. Confidential" (1997), "The Big Kahuna" (1999), "Big Fish" (2003), "Deck the Halls" (2006), "When in Rome" (2010), "Wiener-Dog" (2016) and "" (2019). He is also known for his voice roles in such films as "Hercules" (1997), "The Lorax" (2012) and "Smallfoot" (2018).


title: Danny DeVito

text: In 2017, he earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in the Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "The Price". DeVito and Michael Shamberg founded Jersey Films. Soon afterwards, Stacey Sher became an equal partner. The production company is known for films such as "Pulp Fiction", "Garden State", and "Freedom Writers". DeVito also owned Jersey Television, which produced the Comedy Central series "Reno 911!". DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman starred together in his 1996 film "Matilda", based on Roald Dahl's children's novel. DeVito was also one of the producers nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for "Erin Brockovich" (2000).


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito was born at Raleigh Fitkin-Paul Morgan Memorial Hospital in Neptune Township, New Jersey, the son of Daniel DeVito Sr., a small business owner, and Julia DeVito ( Moccello). He grew up in a family of five, with his parents and two older sisters. He is of Italo-Albanian descent; his family is originally from San Fele, Basilicata, as well as from Arbëresh Albanian community of Calabria. He was raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey; notably, he would live just miles away from the original Jersey Mike's location and would eat there frequently, which would partially inspire him to become the sub shop's first-ever celebrity spokesman in a line of commercials that began to air in September 2022.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito was raised as a Catholic. When he was 14, he persuaded his father to send him to boarding school to "keep him out of trouble", and graduated from Oratory Preparatory School in Summit, New Jersey, in 1962. While working as a beautician at his sister's salon, his search for a professional makeup instructor led him to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he graduated in 1966. In his early theater days, he performed with the Colonnades Theater Lab at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut. Along with his future wife Rhea Perlman, he appeared in plays produced by the Westbeth Playwrights Feminist Collective.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito played Martini in the 1975 film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", reprising his role from the 1971 off-Broadway play of the same title.


title: Danny DeVito

text: After his time on the "Taxi" series ended, DeVito devoted more effort to a growing successful film career, appearing as Vernon Dalhart in the 1983 hit "Terms of Endearment"; as the comic rogue Ralph in the romantic adventure "Romancing the Stone" (1984), starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner; and its sequel, "The Jewel of the Nile" (1985). In 1986, DeVito starred in "Ruthless People" with Bette Midler and Judge Reinhold, and in 1987 he made his feature-directing debut with the dark comedy "Throw Momma from the Train", in which he starred with Billy Crystal and Anne Ramsey. He reunited with Douglas and Turner two years later in "The War of the Roses" (1989), which he directed and in which he co-starred.


title: Danny DeVito

text: Other work included "Other People's Money" with Gregory Peck; director Barry Levinson's "Tin Men", as a rival salesman to Richard Dreyfuss' character; the comedies "Junior" (1994) and "Twins" (1988) with Arnold Schwarzenegger; playing the villain The Penguin in director Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" (1992); and the film adaptation "Matilda" (1996), which he directed and co-produced, along with playing the role of Matilda's father, the villainous car dealer Harry Wormwood.


title: Danny DeVito

text: Although generally a comic actor, DeVito expanded into dramatic roles with "The Rainmaker" (1997); "Hoffa" (1992), which he directed and in which he co-starred with Jack Nicholson; "Jack the Bear" (1993); neo-noir film "L.A. Confidential" (1997); "The Big Kahuna" (1999); and "Heist" (2001), as a gangster nemesis of Joe Moore (Gene Hackman).


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito has an interest in documentaries. In 2006 he began a partnership with Morgan Freeman's company ClickStar, for whom he hosts the documentary channel Jersey Docs. He was also interviewed in the documentary "Revenge of the Electric Car," discussing his interest in and ownership of electric vehicles.


title: Danny DeVito

text: In April 2012, DeVito made his West End acting debut in a revival of the Neil Simon play "The Sunshine Boys" as Willie Clark, alongside Richard Griffiths. It previewed at the Savoy Theatre in London from April 27, 2012, opened on May 17, and played a limited 12-week season until July 28.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito made his Broadway debut in a Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the Arthur Miller play "The Price" as Gregory Solomon, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. The production began preview performances at the American Airlines Theatre on February 16, 2017, and opened on March 16 for a limited run-through on May 7.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito has become a major film and television producer. DeVito founded Jersey Films in 1991, producing films like "Pulp Fiction", "Get Shorty", "Erin Brockovich" (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture), "Gattaca", and "Garden State". In 1999, he produced and co-starred in "Man on the Moon", a film about the unusual life of his former "Taxi" co-star Andy Kaufman, played in the film by Jim Carrey. DeVito also produced the Comedy Central series "Reno 911!", the film spin-off "", and the revival on Quibi.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito made his directorial debut in 1984 with "The Ratings Game". He then directed and starred in "Throw Momma from the Train" (1987), "The War of the Roses" (1989), "Hoffa" (1992), "Matilda" (1996), "Death to Smoochy" (2002) and "Duplex" (2003). "The War of the Roses" was a commercial and critical success, as was the film adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Matilda"; "Death to Smoochy" and "Duplex" had mixed reviews. He also directed the TV movie "Queen B" in 2005.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito has directed eight short films between 1973 and 2016, five of which were released across 2010 and 2011. These are "The Sound Sleeper" (1973), "Minestrone" (1975), "Oh Those Lips" (2010), "Evil Eye" (2010), "Poison Tongue" (2011), "Skin Deep" (2011), "Nest of Vipers" (2011) and "Curmudgeons" (2016).


title: Danny DeVito

text: In 1977, DeVito played the role of John "John John the Apple" DeAppoliso in the "Starsky & Hutch" episode "The Collector". DeVito gained fame in 1978 playing Louie De Palma, the short but domineering dispatcher for the fictional Sunshine Cab Company, on the hit TV show "Taxi".


title: Danny DeVito

text: In 1986, he directed and starred in the black comedy "The Wedding Ring", a season 2 episode of Steven Spielberg's anthology series "Amazing Stories", where his character acquires an engagement ring for his wife (played by DeVito's real-life wife, actress Rhea Perlman). When the ring is slipped on his wife's finger, she is possessed by the ring's former owner, a murderous black widow. That year, DeVito also voiced the Grundle King in "". In 1990, he and Rhea Perlman played the couple Vic & Paula, commenting on the state of the environment in "The Earth Day Special". In 1991 and 1992, DeVito voiced Herb Powell in the episodes "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?" and "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" of "The Simpsons". In 1996, he provided the voice of Mr. Swackhammer in "Space Jam". In 1997, he was the voice of Philoctetes in the film "Hercules".


title: Danny DeVito

text: In 1999, DeVito hosted the last "Saturday Night Live" episode before the year 2000. He earned a 2004 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for an episode of "Friends", following four Emmy nominations (including a 1981 win) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for "Taxi". In 2006, he joined the cast of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" as Frank Reynolds.


title: Danny DeVito

text: In 2011, DeVito received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television. In 2012, he voiced the title character in the animated version of Dr. Seuss's "The Lorax". In 2013, along with Rashida Jones, he voiced Herb for the third time on "The Changing of the Guardian" episode of "The Simpsons" (aired January 27, 2013). He appeared in the "Angry Birds Friends" "Champions for Earth" tournament advertisement in September 2015. Following the Japanese release of the Nintendo 3DS game "Detective Pikachu", dedicated "Pokémon" fans submitted a 40,000-signature petition requesting that DeVito be the English voice actor for the title character. However, he declined to audition for the role, commenting that he was unfamiliar with the franchise.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito played a fictional version of himself in the music video of One Direction's song "Steal My Girl". He also appeared in the short film "Curmudgeons", which he also produced and directed.


title: Danny DeVito

text: In 2021, DeVito wrote a 12-page story centered on the Penguin and Catwoman for the anthology comic "Gotham City Villains".


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito stands tall. His short stature is the result of multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (Fairbank's disease), a rare genetic disorder that affects bone growth.


title: Danny DeVito

text: On January 17, 1971, DeVito met Rhea Perlman when she went to see a friend in the single performance of the play "The Shrinking Bride", which featured DeVito. They moved in together two weeks later and married on January 28, 1982. They have three children: Lucy Chet DeVito (born March 11, 1983), Grace Fan DeVito (born March 1985), and Jacob Daniel DeVito (born October 1987).


title: Danny DeVito

text: Perlman and DeVito have acted alongside each other several times, including in the television show "Taxi" and the feature film "Matilda" (where they played Matilda's parents). They separated in October 2012, after 30 years of marriage and over 40 years together, then reconciled in March 2013. They separated for a second time in March 2017, but remained on amicable terms and Perlman stated they had no intent of filing for divorce. In 2019, Perlman told interviewer Andy Cohen that she and DeVito have become closer friends after their separation than they were in their final years as a couple.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito and Perlman resided in a 14,579-square-foot (1,354 m) house in Beverly Hills, California, that they purchased in 1994, until selling it for US$24 million in April 2015. They also own a bungalow near Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, and a multi-residence compound on Broad Beach in Malibu.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito and Perlman are members of the steering committee of the Friends of the Apollo, supporting a theater in Oberlin, Ohio, as was filmmaker Jonathan Demme. DeVito co-owned a restaurant called DeVito South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida, which closed in 2011. Politically, DeVito is a Democrat and a staunch supporter of Bernie Sanders.


title: Danny DeVito

text: DeVito has a large and varied body of work as an actor, producer and director in stage, television and film. He has been nominated for Academy awards, Creative Arts Emmy awards, Golden Globe awards, Primetime Emmy awards, Producers Guild awards, Screen Actors Guild awards and Tony awards. In 2011 he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6909 Hollywood Blvd., for his contributions to television.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it simply "rock and roll".


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, 1975's "High Voltage". Membership subsequently stabilised around the Young brothers, singer Bon Scott, drummer Phil Rudd, and bassist Mark Evans. Evans was fired from the band in 1977 and replaced by Cliff Williams, who has appeared on every AC/DC album since 1978's "Powerage". In February 1980, about seven months after the release of their breakthrough album "Highway to Hell", Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking. AC/DC considered disbanding, but at Scott's family's request, the remaining members opted to continue the band, bringing in longtime Geordie vocalist Brian Johnson as Scott's replacement. Later that year, the band released their first album with Johnson, "Back in Black", which was dedicated to Scott's memory. The album launched AC/DC to new heights of success and became one of the best selling albums of all time.


title: AC/DC

text: The band's eighth studio album, "For Those About to Rock We Salute You" (1981), was their first album to reach number one in the United States. Prior to the release of their next album, "Flick of the Switch" (1983), Rudd left the band and was replaced by Simon Wright, being in turn replaced by Chris Slade in 1989. The band experienced a commercial resurgence in the early nineties with the release of their twelfth studio album "The Razors Edge" (1990); it was their only album to feature Slade, who was replaced by the returning Rudd in 1994. Rudd has since recorded five more albums with the band, starting with, and including, "Ballbreaker" (1995). Their fifteenth studio album "Black Ice" was the second-highest-selling album of 2008, and their biggest chart hit since "For Those About to Rock", eventually reaching No.1 worldwide.


title: AC/DC

text: The band's line-up remained the same for twenty years, until 2014 with Malcolm Young's retirement due to early-onset dementia (he died in 2017) and Rudd's legal troubles. Malcolm was replaced by his nephew Stevie Young, who debuted on AC/DC's 2014 album "Rock or Bust", and on its accompanying tour, previous drummer Chris Slade filled in for Rudd. In 2016, Johnson was advised to stop touring due to worsening hearing loss. Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose stepped in as the band's vocalist for the remainder of that year's dates. Long-term bass player and background vocalist Cliff Williams retired from AC/DC at the end of the "Rock or Bust" tour in 2016 and the group entered a four-year hiatus. A reunion of the "Rock or Bust" line-up was announced in September 2020 and the band's seventeenth studio album "Power Up" was released two months later.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 75 million albums in the United States, making them the ninth-highest-selling artist in the United States and the 16th-best-selling artist worldwide. "Back in Black" has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide, making it the second-highest-selling album by any artist, and the highest-selling album by any band. The album has sold 25 million units in the US, where it is the fourth highest-selling album of all time. AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. AC/DC ranked fourth on "VH1" list of the "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock" and were named the seventh "Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time" by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC ranked No. 72 on the "Rolling Stone" list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". Producer Rick Rubin, who wrote an essay on the band for the "Rolling Stone" list, referred to AC/DC as "the greatest rock and roll band of all time". In 2010, "VH1" ranked AC/DC number 23 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".


title: AC/DC

text: In November 1973, Malcolm and Angus Young formed AC/DC with bassist Larry Van Kriedt, vocalist Dave Evans, and ex-Masters Apprentices drummer Colin Burgess. Gene Pierson booked the band to play at Chequers nightclub on New Year's Eve, 1973. By this time, Angus Young had adopted his characteristic school-uniform stage outfit. The idea was his sister Margaret's. Angus had tried other costumes: Spider-Man, Zorro, a gorilla, and a parody of Superman, named Super-Ang. In its early days, most members of the band dressed in some form of glam or satin outfit. On stage, Evans was occasionally replaced by the band's first manager, Dennis Laughlin, who was the original lead singer with Sherbet. In Paul Stenning's book "AC/DC: Two Sides To Every Glory" it was stated that Evans did not get along with Laughlin, which also contributed to the band's bitter feeling toward Evans.


title: AC/DC

text: Malcolm and Angus Young developed the idea for the band's name after their sister, Margaret Young, saw the initials "AC/DC" on the AC adapter of a sewing machine. "AC/DC" is an abbreviation meaning "alternating current/direct current" electricity. The brothers felt that this name symbolised the band's raw energy, power-driven performances of their music. "AC/DC" is pronounced one letter at a time, though the band are colloquially known as "Acca Dacca" in Australia. The AC/DC band name is stylised with a high voltage sign separating the "AC" and "DC" and has been used on all studio albums, with the exception of the international version of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap".


title: AC/DC

text: By the middle of 1974, the band had built up a strong live reputation, which led to a support slot for the visiting Lou Reed. Sometime in 1974, on the recommendation of Michael Chugg, veteran Melbourne promoter Michael Browning booked the band to play at his club, the Hard Rock. He was not pleased with their glam rock image and felt that Evans was the wrong singer for the band, but was impressed by the Young brothers' guitar playing. Shortly afterward, he received a call from the band; Laughlin had quit as manager, and they were stuck in Adelaide with no money. Browning agreed to bail them out and booked them for another gig at the Hard Rock. Following the gig, they agreed to take him on as their new manager, with the co-operation of their older brother George and Harry Vanda. The Young brothers decided to abandon the glam rock image which had already been adopted by Melbourne band Skyhooks and pursue a harder blues-rock sound. To this end, they agreed that Evans was not a suitable frontman for the group. Around this time, they also moved their base to Melbourne, where they frequently played at the Hard Rock.


title: AC/DC

text: In September 1974, Bon Scott, an experienced vocalist from Fraternity and friend of George Young, replaced Dave Evans after friend Vince Lovegrove recommended him to George Young. Scott's appointment coincided with him working as a chauffeur for the band at the time until an audition promoted him to lead singer. Like the Young brothers, Scott was born in Scotland and emigrated to Australia in his childhood. The band had recorded only one single with Evans, "Can I Sit Next to You, Girl" / "Rockin' in the Parlour"; the song was re-written and re-recorded with Bon Scott.


title: AC/DC

text: By October 1974, AC/DC had recorded their first studio album, "High Voltage". It was released exclusively in Australia on 17 February 1975, along with a single "Baby, Please Don't Go" / "Love Song". The album took only ten days and was based on instrumental songs written by the Young brothers, with lyrics added by Scott. Within a few months, the band's line-up had stabilised, featuring Scott, the Young brothers, bassist Mark Evans, and drummer Phil Rudd. Later that year they released the single "It's a Long Way to the Top", for which a well-known promotional video was made for the program "Countdown", featuring the band miming the song on the back of a flatbed truck. AC/DC released their second studio album, "T.N.T.", on 1 December 1975, which was also released only in Australia and New Zealand.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC were scheduled to play at the 1975 Sunbury music festival; however, they went home without performing following an altercation with the management and crew of headlining act Deep Purple.


title: AC/DC

text: Between 1974 and 1977, aided by regular appearances on Molly Meldrum's "Countdown", the ABC's nationally broadcast pop-music television show, AC/DC became one of the most popular and successful acts in Australia. Their performance on 3 April 1977 was their last live TV appearance for more than 20 years.


title: AC/DC

text: Browning sent promo material to contacts in London, which came to the attention of Phil Carson of Atlantic Records. In 1976, the band signed an international deal with Atlantic Records. On arrival in London, their scheduled tour with Back Street Crawler was cancelled following the death of Paul Kossoff. As a result, they went back to playing smaller venues to build a local following until their label organised the "Lock Up Your Daughters" tour sponsored by "Sounds" magazine, the only major music magazine which was still relatively receptive to traditional rock music. At the time, punk rock was breaking and came to dominate the pages of the major British music weeklies, "NME" and "Melody Maker". AC/DC were sometimes identified with the punk rock movement by the British press, but the band hated punk rock, believing it to be a passing fad—manager Michael Browning wrote that "it wasn't possible to even hold a conversation with AC/DC about punk without them getting totally pissed off". Their reputation managed to survive the punk upheavals and they maintained a cult following in the UK throughout this time. Angus Young gained notoriety for mooning the audience during live performances.


title: AC/DC

text: The first AC/DC album to gain worldwide distribution was a 1976 compilation of tracks taken from the "High Voltage" and "T.N.T." LPs. Also titled "High Voltage", and released on the Atlantic Records label, the album has to date sold three million copies worldwide. The track selection was heavily weighted toward the more recent "T.N.T.", including only two songs from their first LP. The band's third studio album, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap", was released in the same year in both Australian and international versions, like its predecessor. Track listings varied worldwide, and the international version of the album also featured the "T.N.T." track "Rocker", which had previously not been released internationally. The original Australian version included "Jailbreak" (now more readily available on the 1984 compilation EP "'74 Jailbreak" or as a live version on the 1992 "Live" album). "Dirty Deeds" was not released in the US until 1981, by which time the band were at the peak of their popularity.


title: AC/DC

text: After a brief tour of Sweden, they returned to London where they set new attendance records during their residency at the Marquee. However, their appearance at the 1976 Reading Festival failed to get a response from the crowd. They toured extensively throughout Europe, then returned to tour Australia in late 1976 to rebuild their finances and record their fourth studio album, "Let There Be Rock".


title: AC/DC

text: In early 1977, they returned to Britain and began a European tour with Black Sabbath. While Bon Scott and Ozzy Osbourne quickly became friends, relations were less than cordial between the other members of the respective bands. In one incident, Geezer Butler pulled a "knife" on Malcolm Young, though it was a "silly" flick-knife comb. Later in the year they toured with Rainbow.


title: AC/DC

text: Towards the end of 1977, bassist Mark Evans was dismissed. Evans described disagreement with Angus and Malcolm as a contributing factor. He was replaced by Cliff Williams, an experienced bass player who had played with several UK bands since the late 60s. Neither of the Young brothers has elaborated on the departure of Evans, though Richard Griffiths, the CEO of Epic Records and a booking agent for AC/DC in the mid-1970s, later commented, "You knew Mark wasn't going to last, he was just too much of a nice guy." Mark Evans' autobiography, "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside of AC/DC", released in 2011, predominantly dealt with his time in AC/DC, including being fired.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC's first American radio exposure was through Bill Bartlett at Jacksonville station WPDQ/WAIV in 1975, two years before they played their first US concert as support band for Canadian group Moxy in Austin, Texas, on 27 July 1977. Under the guidance of booking agent Doug Thaler of American Talent International and later the management of Leber-Krebs, they gained invaluable experience of the US stadium circuit, supporting leading rock acts such as Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Kiss, Styx, UFO, and Blue Öyster Cult, and co-headlined with bands such as Cheap Trick.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC released their fifth studio album, "Powerage", on 5 May 1978, and with its harder riffs, followed the blueprint set by "Let There Be Rock". Only one single was released from "Powerage", "Rock 'n' Roll Damnation/Sin City". An appearance at the Apollo Theatre, Glasgow during the "Powerage" tour was recorded and released as "If You Want Blood You've Got It".


title: AC/DC

text: The major breakthrough in the band's career came in their collaboration with producer "Mutt" Lange on the band's sixth studio album "Highway to Hell", released in 1979. Eddie Van Halen notes this to be his favourite AC/DC record, along with "Powerage". It became the first AC/DC LP to break into the US top 100, eventually reaching No. 17, and it propelled AC/DC into the top ranks of hard rock acts. "Highway to Hell" had lyrics that shifted away from flippant and comical toward more central rock themes, putting increased emphasis on backing vocals but still featured AC/DC's signature sound: loud, simple, pounding riffs and grooving backbeats.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1980, the band began to work on their seventh studio album "Back in Black" before tragedy struck. On 19 February 1980, Scott purportedly passed out in the car on the way back to the apartment of an acquaintance called Alistair Kinnear after a night of drinking and alleged drug-taking at The Music Machine in Camden, London. According to Kinnear, upon arrival at his home, he was unable to move Scott from the car into his home for the night, so he left him in the car overnight to sleep off the effects of the alcohol. Unable to wake Scott early on the evening of 20 February 1980, Kinnear rushed him to King's College Hospital in Camberwell, where Scott was pronounced dead on arrival. Pulmonary aspiration of vomit was cited as the cause of Scott's death, and the official cause was listed as "acute alcohol poisoning". Scott's family buried him in Fremantle, Western Australia, the area they emigrated to when he was a boy.


title: AC/DC

text: Following Scott's death, the band briefly considered quitting, but encouraged by the insistence from Scott's parents that he would have wanted them to carry on, they decided to continue, and went about finding a new vocalist. Allan Fryer of Fat Lip, ex-Rick Wakeman vocalist Gary Pickford-Hopkins, and the Easybeats' singer Stevie Wright were touted by the press as possible replacements. Various other candidates were also considered, including ex-Moxy member Buzz Shearman, who was not able to join because of voice issues, Slade vocalist Noddy Holder, and ex-Back Street Crawler vocalist Terry Slesser.


title: AC/DC

text: At the advice of Lange, the group brought in ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson, who impressed the group. For the audition, Johnson sang "Whole Lotta Rosie" from "Let There Be Rock" and Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits". After the band begrudgingly worked through the rest of the list of applicants in the following days, Johnson returned for a second rehearsal.


title: AC/DC

text: Angus Young later recalled, "I remember the first time I had ever heard Brian's (Johnson) name was from Bon. Bon had mentioned that he had been in England once touring with a band and he had mentioned that Brian had been in a band called Geordie and Bon had said 'Brian Johnson, he was a great rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard.' And that was Bon's big idol, Little Richard. I think when he saw Brian at that time, to Bon it was 'Well he's a guy that knows what rock and roll is all about.' He mentioned that to us in Australia. I suppose when we decided to continue, Brian was the first name that Malcolm and myself came up with, so we said we should see if we can find him."


title: AC/DC

text: On 29 March, Malcolm Young called the singer to offer him a place in the band, much to Johnson's surprise. Out of respect for Bon Scott, the band wanted a vocalist who would not be a mere imitator of him. In addition to his distinctive voice, demeanor and love of classic soul and blues music, the group was impressed by Johnson's engaging personality. Johnson was officially announced as the new lead singer of AC/DC on 1 April 1980.


title: AC/DC

text: With Johnson as the new vocalist, the band completed the songwriting that they had begun with Scott for the album "Back in Black". Recording took place at Compass Point Studios in The Bahamas a few months after Scott's death. "Back in Black", produced by Mutt Lange and recorded by Tony Platt, became their biggest-selling album and a hard-rock landmark; hits include "Hells Bells", "You Shook Me All Night Long", "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" and the title track. The album reached No.1 in the UK and No.4 in the US, where it spent 131 weeks on the "Billboard" 200 album chart.


title: AC/DC

text: The band's eighth studio album, "For Those About to Rock We Salute You", was released in 1981, also sold well and was positively received by critics. The album featured two of the band's most popular singles: "Let's Get It Up" and the title track, "For Those About to Rock", which reached No.13 and No.15 in the UK, respectively.


title: AC/DC

text: The band parted ways with producer Mutt Lange for their ninth studio album, "Flick of the Switch", released in 1983, in an effort to recover the rawness and simplicity of their early albums, but it was considered underdeveloped and unmemorable; one critic stated that the band "had made the same album nine times". AC/DC were voted the eighth-biggest disappointment of the year in the 1984 "Kerrang!" readers' poll. However, "Flick of the Switch" eventually reached No. 4 on the UK charts, and AC/DC had minor success with the singles "Nervous Shakedown" and "Flick of the Switch".


title: AC/DC

text: After having problems with drugs and alcohol, drummer Phil Rudd's friendship with Malcolm Young deteriorated and eventually escalated to a physical confrontation after which Rudd was fired halfway through the "Flick of the Switch" sessions. Former Procol Harum drummer B.J. Wilson was drafted in to help complete the recordings, but his drum parts were eventually not used, as Rudd had already completed the drum parts. Rudd was replaced by Simon Wright in the summer of 1983 after the band held over 700 auditions in the US and UK. Simon Kirke of Free and Bad Company fame, and Paul Thompson of Roxy Music were two of the drummers auditioned.


title: AC/DC

text: The band's tenth studio album, "Fly on the Wall", produced by the Young brothers in 1985, was also regarded as uninspired and directionless. A music concept video of the same name featured the band at a bar, playing five of the album's ten songs.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1986, the group returned to the charts with the made-for-radio "Who Made Who". The album "Who Made Who" was the soundtrack to Stephen King's film "Maximum Overdrive"; it brought together older hits, such as "You Shook Me All Night Long", with newer songs such as title track and two new instrumentals, "D.T." and "Chase the Ace".


title: AC/DC

text: In February 1988, AC/DC were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association's Hall of Fame. AC/DC's eleventh studio album, "Blow Up Your Video", released in 1988, was recorded at Studio Miraval in Le Val, France, and reunited the band with their original producers, Harry Vanda and George Young. The group recorded nineteen songs, choosing ten for the final release; though the album was later criticised for containing excessive "filler", it was a commercial success. "Blow Up Your Video" sold more copies than the previous two studio releases combined, reaching No. 2 on the UK charts—AC/DC's highest position since "Back in Black" in 1980. The album featured the UK top-twenty single "Heatseeker" and popular songs such as "That's the Way I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll". The "Blow Up Your Video" World Tour began in February 1988, in Perth, Australia. That April, following live appearances across Europe, Malcolm Young announced that he was taking time off from touring, principally to begin recovery from his alcoholism. Another member of the Young family, Stevie Young, temporarily took Malcolm's place.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1989, Wright left the group to work on the upcoming Dio album "Lock Up the Wolves", and was replaced by session veteran Chris Slade. Johnson was unavailable for several months while finalising his divorce, so the Young brothers wrote all the songs for the next album, a practice they continued for all subsequent releases through "Rock or Bust" in 2014.


title: AC/DC

text: The band's twelfth studio album, "The Razors Edge", was recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser and produced by Bruce Fairbairn, who had previously worked with Aerosmith and Bon Jovi. Released in 1990, it was a major success for the band, and included the hits "Thunderstruck" and "Are You Ready", which reached No. 5 and No. 16 respectively on "Billboard's" Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart, and "Moneytalks", which peaked at No. 23 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The album went multi-platinum and reached the US top ten. In September 1991, 1.6 million people attended the Monsters of Rock festival in Moscow to enjoy the first open-air rock concert to be held in the former Soviet Union. The show, also featuring Pantera, The Black Crowes and Metallica, had one of the largest attendances ever for a musical event.


title: AC/DC

text: Several shows on the Razors Edge tour were recorded for the 1992 live album, titled "Live". "Live" was produced by Fairbairn, and has been called one of the best live albums of the 1990s. AC/DC headlined the Monsters of Rock show during this tour, which was released on DVD as "Live at Donington". During "The Razors Edge" tour, three fans were killed at a concert at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah in January 1991: when the concert began fans rushed the stage crushing the three and injuring others. It took 20 minutes before venue security and the group understood the severity of the situation and halted the concert. AC/DC settled with the victims' families out of court. As a result of this incident, the Salt Palace eliminated festival seating from future events.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1993, AC/DC recorded "Big Gun" for the soundtrack of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "Last Action Hero". Released as a single, the song reached No. 1 on the US Mainstream Rock chart—the band's first No. 1 single on that chart.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1994, Pacific Gameworks created a proposal for a beat 'em up video game project intended for the Atari Jaguar CD titled "AC/DC: Defenders of Metal", which would have prominently featured the AC/DC crew, however production of the game never started and it was left unreleased.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1994, Angus and Malcolm invited Rudd to several jam sessions. He was eventually rehired to replace Slade, whose departure arose in part because of the band's strong desire to again work with Rudd. Recorded at the Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles by the reunited 1980–83 line-up and produced by Rick Rubin, the band's thirteenth studio album, "Ballbreaker" was released in 1995. The first single from the album was "Hard as a Rock". Two more singles were released from the album: "Hail Caesar" and "Cover You in Oil".


title: AC/DC

text: In 1997, a box set named "Bonfire" was released. It contained four albums; a remastered version of "Back in Black"; "Volts" (a disc with alternative takes, outtakes, and stray live cuts) and two live albums, "Live from the Atlantic Studios" and "". "Live from the Atlantic Studios" was recorded on 7 December 1977 at the Atlantic Studios in New York. "Let There Be Rock: The Movie" was a double album recorded in 1979 at the Pavillon de Paris and was the soundtrack of a motion picture, "". The US version of the box set included a colour booklet, a two-sided poster, a sticker, a temporary tattoo, a keychain bottle opener, and a guitar pick.


title: AC/DC

text: In 1999, AC/DC recorded their fourteenth studio album, "Stiff Upper Lip", produced by brother George Young at the Warehouse Studio, again in Vancouver. Released in February 2000, the album was better received by critics than "Ballbreaker" but was considered lacking in new ideas. The Australian release included a bonus disc with three promotional videos and several live performances recorded in Madrid, Spain in 1996. "Stiff Upper Lip" reached No.1 in five countries, including Argentina and Germany; No.2 in three countries, Spain, France and Switzerland; No.3 in Australia; No.5 in Canada and Portugal; and No.7 in Norway, the US and Hungary. The first single, "Stiff Upper Lip", remained at No.1 on the US Mainstream Rock charts for four weeks. The band also performed that song live when they appeared as the musical guest on "Saturday Night Live" in March 2000. The other singles released also charted – "Satellite Blues" and "Safe in New York City" reached No.7 and No.31 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks.


title: AC/DC

text: In 2002, AC/DC signed a long-term, multi-album deal with Sony Music, who went on to release a series of remastered albums as part of their AC/DC remasters series. Each release contained an expanded booklet featuring rare photographs, memorabilia, and notes. In 2003, the entire back-catalogue (except "Ballbreaker" and "Stiff Upper Lip") was remastered and re-released. "Ballbreaker" and "Stiff Upper Lip" was later re-released in 2004. Also in 2003, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


title: AC/DC

text: On 30 July 2003, the band performed with the Rolling Stones and Rush at Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto. The concert, held before an audience of half a million, was intended to help the city overcome the negative publicity stemming from the effects of a 2003 SARS epidemic. The concert holds the record for the largest paid music event in North American history. The band came second in a list of Australia's highest-earning entertainers for 2005, and sixth for 2006, despite having neither toured since 2003 nor released an album since 2000. Verizon Wireless has gained the rights to release AC/DC's full albums and the entire "Live at Donington" concert to download in 2008.


title: AC/DC

text: On 16 October 2007, Columbia Records released a double and triple DVD titled "Plug Me In". The set consists of five and seven hours of rare footage, and even a recording of AC/DC at a high school performing "School Days", "TNT", "She's Got Balls", and "It's a Long Way to the Top". As with "Family Jewels", disc one contains rare shows of the band with Bon Scott, and disc two is about the Brian Johnson era. The collector's edition contains an extra DVD with 21 more rare performances of both Scott and Johnson and more interviews.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC made their video game debut on "Rock Band 2", with "Let There Be Rock" included as a playable track. The setlist from their "Live at Donington" live album was released as playable songs for the "Rock Band" series by means of a Wal-Mart-exclusive retail disc titled "".


title: AC/DC

text: "No Bull: The Directors Cut", a newly edited, comprehensive Blu-ray and DVD of the band's July 1996 Plaza De Toros de las Ventas concert in Madrid, Spain, was released on 9 September 2008.


title: AC/DC

text: On 18 August 2008, Columbia Records announced 18 October Australian release, and 20 October worldwide release, of their fifteenth studio album, "Black Ice". The 15-track album was the band's first studio release in eight years, was produced by Brendan O'Brien and was mixed and engineered by Mike Fraser. Like "Stiff Upper Lip", it was recorded at The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. "Black Ice" was sold in the US exclusively at Walmart and Sam's Club and the band's official website.


title: AC/DC

text: "Rock 'n' Roll Train", the album's first single, was released to radio on 28 August. On 15 August, AC/DC recorded a video for a song from the new album in London with a special selection of fans getting the chance to be in the video. "Black Ice" debuted at No.1 on album charts in 29 countries and also was Columbia Records' biggest debut album (since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales data for Billboard in March 1991). "Black Ice" has been certified Multi Platinum in eight countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Additionally, "Black Ice" has achieved Platinum status in twelve countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, UK, Argentina, Singapore, and New Zealand) and Gold status in four countries (Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and Brazil). The 18-month Black Ice World Tour supporting the new album was announced on 11 September and began on 28 October in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.


title: AC/DC

text: On 15 September 2008, AC/DC Radio debuted on Sirius Channel 19 and XM channel 53. The channel plays AC/DC music along with interviews with the band members.


title: AC/DC

text: With the North American release of "Black Ice" on 20 October 2008, Columbia Records and Walmart created "Rock Again AC/DC Stores" to promote the album. In October 2008, MTV, Walmart, and Columbia created "AC/DC Rock Band Stores" in New York City, at Times Square, and in Los Angeles. "Black Ice" trucks were also dispatched on the streets of these two cities after the release, playing AC/DC music aloud and making various stops each day to sell merchandise.


title: AC/DC

text: In late September 2009, the band rescheduled six shows when Brian Johnson underwent an operation for ulcers. On 29 September, the band announced a collection of studio and live rarities, "Backtracks", which was released on 10 November 2009 as a 3-CD/2-DVD/1-LP box-set.


title: AC/DC

text: On 4 November, AC/DC were announced as the Business Review Weekly top Australian earner (entertainment) for 2009 with earnings of $105 million. This displaced The Wiggles from the number one spot for the first time in four years.


title: AC/DC

text: On 19 April 2010, AC/DC released "Iron Man 2", the soundtrack for the eponymous film which compiled earlier tracks from the band's studio albums. One month later, the band headlined Download Festival at Donington Park, and closed the Black Ice World Tour in Bilbao, Spain on 28 June 2010, after 20 months in which AC/DC went to 108 cities in over 28 countries, with an estimated audience of over five million people. Three concerts in December 2009 at the River Plate Stadium in Argentina were released as the DVD "Live at River Plate" on 10 May 2011. An exclusive single from the DVD, featuring the songs "Shoot to Thrill" and "War Machine", was issued on Record Store Day. In 2011, the band also issued on DVD and Blu-ray the concert movie "", which had its theatrical release in 1980.


title: AC/DC

text: On 16 April 2014, in response to earlier reports that the band may be disbanding due to Malcolm Young's illness, Brian Johnson commented that AC/DC were not completely disbanding, stating "We are definitely getting together in May in Vancouver. We're going to pick up guitars, have a plonk and see if anybody has got any tunes or ideas. If anything happens we'll record it." In July 2014, AC/DC announced that they had finished recording their next album and that Malcolm's nephew, Stevie Young, replaced Malcolm in the studio. On 23 September 2014, Alberts Management confirmed that Malcolm had officially departed from the band. Malcolm's last show with the band was on 28 June 2010 in Bilbao, Spain; he died on 18 November 2017 at the age of 64.


title: AC/DC

text: Drummer Phil Rudd released his first solo album, "Head Job", on 29 August 2014. He confirmed that there would be another AC/DC tour, and stated that the band had no intention of retiring. On 23 September 2014, Alberts Management revealed that the band's sixteenth studio album, "Rock or Bust", featuring eleven new tracks, would be released on 28 November 2014 as the first AC/DC album in the band's history without Malcolm Young on the recordings. The band also announced plans for a world tour to promote the new album with Malcolm and Angus' nephew Stevie Young as Malcolm's replacement.


title: AC/DC

text: On 6 November 2014, Rudd was charged with attempting to procure a murder, threatening to kill, possession of methamphetamine, and possession of cannabis, following a police raid on his home. The charge of attempting to procure a murder was withdrawn the following day, but the other charges remained. AC/DC released a statement clarifying that the tour promoting "Rock or Bust" would continue, but did not say whether or not Rudd would participate, or if he was still a member of the band.


title: AC/DC

text: At the charity signing before the Grammy Awards, the band was photographed together with former drummer Chris Slade. It was later confirmed that he had rejoined the band for the Grammys and upcoming tour. In April 2015, Rudd pleaded guilty to drug charges and threatening to kill a former assistant. Shortly thereafter, the band's web site removed Rudd as the band's drummer and replaced him with Slade. On 9 July 2015, Rudd was denied a discharge without conviction and sentenced to eight months of home detention.


title: AC/DC

text: On 7 March 2016, the band announced that the final ten dates of the Rock or Bust World Tour would be rescheduled as Johnson's doctors had ordered him to stop touring immediately, as his hearing loss had accelerated and he risked complete deafness if he persisted on the road. The ten cancelled dates would be performed "likely with a guest vocalist" later in the year, leaving Johnson's future in touring with the group uncertain. Johnson later stated on "The Howard Stern Show" that his hearing loss did not come from performing for 36 years with AC/DC, but rather his love of auto racing and having forgotten to put in ear plugs during one race that ruptured his left ear drum.


title: AC/DC

text: On 19 April 2016, Johnson made an official statement regarding his health problems and inability to tour. In the statement, he acknowledged his ongoing hearing difficulties but stated his intentions to continue recording and potentially resume touring if his health improves sufficiently. He also specifically thanked Angus Young and Cliff Williams for their support during his AC/DC tenure. His last show with AC/DC was on 28 February 2016; at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.


title: AC/DC

text: On 16 April 2016, AC/DC released a statement announcing the addition of Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose as the band's lead vocalist for the remainder of their 2016 tour dates. The statement read: "AC/DC band members would like to thank Brian Johnson for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years. We wish him all the best with his hearing issues and future ventures. As much as we want this tour to end as it started, we understand, respect and support Brian's decision to stop touring and save his hearing. We are dedicated to fulfilling the remainder of our touring commitments to everyone that has supported us over the years, and are fortunate that Axl Rose has kindly offered his support to help us fulfill this commitment. AC/DC will resume their Rock or Bust World Tour with Axl Rose joining on vocals."


title: AC/DC

text: On 8 July 2016, Cliff Williams indicated he was leaving the band in an interview with "Gulfshore Life", saying "It's been what I've known for the past 40 years, but after this tour I'm backing off of touring and recording. Losing Malcolm, the thing with Phil and now with Brian, it's a changed animal. I feel in my gut it's the right thing." At the end of the Rock or Bust World Tour, he released a video statement confirming his departure. His final show with AC/DC was in Philadelphia on 20 September 2016.


title: AC/DC

text: After completing the "Rock or Bust" tour in 2016, AC/DC went on hiatus. Over the next few years, speculation began that former members Johnson and Rudd were back and working with the band again, after a fan living near The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, B.C. claimed to have observed them in the outdoor area of the studio from her apartment window.


title: AC/DC

text: On 28 September 2020, AC/DC updated their social media accounts with a short video clip depicting an illumination of a neon light in the shape of the band's lightning bolt logo. This led to speculation that they were "preparing to announce its comeback, possibly as early as this week or next week." On the next day, the band's official website was redirected to pwrup.acdc.com, and updated with an AC/DC online store and a "Power Up" e-mail sign-up, leading to speculation that "Power Up" would be the title of the new album. This speculation was also fuelled by another teaser video from AC/DC, simply featuring the hashtag #PWRUP.


title: AC/DC

text: On 30 September 2020, AC/DC officially confirmed the return of Brian Johnson, Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams to the band, alongside Angus and Stevie Young reuniting the "Rock or Bust" recording line-up.


title: AC/DC

text: On 1 October 2020, AC/DC released a snippet of their new song "Shot in the Dark." Shortly thereafter, the band's official website published a few photographs of several different posters displayed in different cities (from different countries) – such as Ashfield (in front of Angus Young's Ashfield Boys High School), Lille, London and Dallas – featuring the writing ""PWR/UP"" (stylised as "PWRϟUP").


title: AC/DC

text: On 7 October 2020, the band confirmed the upcoming release on 13 November 2020 of their new studio album, "Power Up", and released the first single taken from it, "Shot in the Dark". The album's track listing was revealed on their website via a spinning promotional album. Angus Young also noted that the new album, as was "Rock or Bust", is dedicated to Malcolm Young, much in the same way that "Back in Black" was dedicated to Bon Scott.


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC have referred to themselves as "a rock and roll band, nothing more, nothing less". In the opinion of Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic, they are "one of the defining acts of '70s hard rock" and reactionary to the period's art rock and arena rock excesses: "AC/DC's rock was minimalist – no matter how huge and bludgeoning their guitar chords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint." According to Alexis Petridis, their music is "hard-edged, wilfully basic blues-rock" featuring humorous sexual innuendo and lyrics about rock and roll. Music academic Robert McParland described the band's sound as being defined by the heavy rock guitar of the Young brothers, layered power chords, and forceful vocals. "For some, AC/DC are the ultimate heavy metal act", Tim Jonze wrote in "The Guardian", "but for others, AC/DC aren't a heavy metal act at all, they're a classic rock band – and calling them heavy metal is an act of treachery." On the controversy of categorising their music, McParland wrote:


title: AC/DC

text: According to "Vulture" music journalist David Marchese, the instrumental foundation of the band's simple sound was the drummer—Rudd, Wright, or Slade—striking the kick drum on the first and third beat of every measure, and the snare drum on the second and fourth beat; bassist Williams consistently downpicking an eighth note; Angus Young performing lead parts that possessed "a clear architecture and even sort of swing, in a frenzied, half-demented way"; and Malcolm Young's "propulsive" yet nuanced rhythm guitar featuring "little "chuks", stutters, and silences that give the monstrous riffs life". For the majority of Malcolm Young's tenure in AC/DC, he used a Marshall Super Bass head to amplify his rhythm guitar while recording in the studio. According to Chris Gill of "Guitar World", the amplifier helped define his signature guitar tone: "clean but as loud as possible to ride on the razor's edge of power amp distortion and deliver the ideal combination of grind, twang, clang and crunch, with no distorted preamp 'hair,' fizz or compression", as heard on songs such as "Let There Be Rock", "Dirty Deeds", "For Those About to Rock", and "Thunderstruck". During 1978 to 1980, however, Young used a Marshall 2203 100-watt master volume head, which Gill speculates may have contributed to a "slightly more distorted and dark" guitar tone on the albums from that period, including "Powerage" and "Back in Black".


title: AC/DC

text: With the recording of "Back in Black" in 1980, rock journalist Joe S. Harrington believed the band had departed further from the blues-oriented rock of their previous albums, and toward a more dynamic attack that adopted punk rock's "high-energy implications" and transmuted their hard rock/heavy metal songs into "more pop-oriented blasts". The band would remain faithful for the remainder of their career, to this "impeccably ham-handed" musical style: "the guitars were compacted into a singular statement of rhythmic efficiency, the rhythm section provided the thunderhorse overdrive, and vocalist Johnson belowed and brayed like the most unhinged practitioner of bluesy top-man dynamics since vintage Robert Plant."


title: AC/DC

text: In a comparison of AC/DC's vocalists, Robert Christgau said Bon Scott exhibited a "blokelike croak" and "charm", often singing about sexual aggression in the guise of fun: "Like Ian Hunter or Roger Chapman though without their panache, he has fun being a dirty young man". Johnson, in his opinion, possessed "three times the range and wattage" as a vocalist while projecting the character of a "bloke as fantasy-fiction demigod". By the time Johnson had fully acclimated himself with 1981's "For Those About to Rock We Salute You", Christgau said he defined "an anthemic grandiosity more suitable to [the band's] precious-metal status than Bon Scott's old-fashioned raunch", albeit in a less intelligent manner.


title: AC/DC

text: Throughout the band's career, their songs have been criticised as simplistic, monotonous, deliberately lowbrow, and sexist. David Marchese from "Vulture" wrote that, "regardless of the lyricist, whether it was Scott (who was capable of real wit and colour), Johnson, or the Young brothers, there's a deep strain of misogyny in the band's output that veers from feeling terribly dated to straight-up reprehensible." According to Christgau in 1988, "the brutal truth is that sexism has never kept a great rock-and-roller down—from Muddy to Lemmy, lots of dynamite music has objectified women in objectionable ways. But rotely is not among those ways", in regards to AC/DC. Fans of the band have defended their music by highlighting its "bawdy humour", while members of the group have generally been dismissive of claims that their songs are sexist, arguing that they are meant to be in jest. In an interview with Sylvie Simmons for "Mojo", Angus called the band "pranksters more than anything else", while Malcolm said "we're not like some macho band. We take the music far more seriously than we take the lyrics, which are just throwaway lines." Marchese regarded the musical aspect of the Youngs' songs "strong enough to render the words a functional afterthought", as well as "deceptively plain, devastatingly effective, and extremely lucrative".


title: AC/DC

text: For the book "Under My Thumb: Songs That Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them", "The Guardian" arts critic Fiona Sturges contributed an essay evaluating her love for AC/DC. While acknowledging she is a feminist, and that the band's music is problematic for her, she believed it would be "daft, as opposed to damaging", for female listeners if they can understand the band to be "a bunch of archly sex-obsessed idiots with sharp tunes and some seriously killer riffs". In spite of the "unpleasant sneering quality" of "Carry Me Home"s claims about a woman who "ain't no lady", the "rape fantasy" of "Let Me Put My Love into You", and the generally one-dimensional portrayals of women, Sturges said songs such as "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "You Shook Me All Night Long" demonstrated that the female characters "are also having a good time and are, more often than not, in the driving seat in sexual terms... it's the men who come over as passive and hopeless, awestruck in the presence of sexual partners more experienced and adept than them."


title: AC/DC

text: As with many bands of their era, AC/DC ran afoul of the Satanic panic of the 1980s. This general fear of modern hard rock and heavy metal was greatly increased in the band's case when serial killer Richard Ramirez was arrested. Ramirez, nicknamed the "Night Stalker" by the press, told police that "Night Prowler" from the 1979 "Highway to Hell" album had driven him to commit murder. Police also claimed that Ramirez was wearing an AC/DC shirt and left an AC/DC hat at one of the crime scenes. Accusations that AC/DC were devil worshippers were made, the lyrics of "Night Prowler" were analysed, and some newspapers attempted to link Ramirez's Satanism with AC/DC's name, arriving at the conclusion that AC/DC actually stood for Anti-Christ/Devil's Child (or Devil's Children).


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC were a somewhat formative influence on the new wave of British heavy metal bands who emerged in the late 1970s, such as Saxon and Iron Maiden, in part as a reaction to the decline of traditional early 1970s hard rock bands. In 2007, critics noted that AC/DC, along with Thin Lizzy, UFO, Scorpions, and Judas Priest, were among "the second generation of rising stars ready to step into the breach as the old guard waned."


title: AC/DC

text: AC/DC were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2003. During the ceremony the band performed "Highway to Hell" and "You Shook Me All Night Long", with guest vocals provided by host Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. He described the band's power chords as "the thunder from down under that gives you the second most powerful surge that can flow through your body." During the acceptance speech, Brian Johnson quoted their 1977 song "Let There Be Rock".


title: AC/DC

text: On 22 March 2000, the municipality of Leganés (near Madrid) named a street in honour of the band as "Calle de AC/DC" ("AC/DC Street"). Malcolm and Angus attended the inauguration with many fans. Later that day, the plaque with the name of the group was stolen, perhaps by an enthusiast or collector. The plaque was replaced two hours later, and stolen once again a mere three days after the fact. The plaque had since been stolen numerous times, forcing the municipality of Leganés to begin selling replicas of the official street plaque.


title: AC/DC

text: In 2003, "Rolling Stone"s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list included "Back in Black" at number 73, and "Highway to Hell" at number 199. And in 2004, on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, "Rolling Stone" included "Back in Black" at number 187, and "Highway to Hell" at number 254.


title: AC/DC

text: In May 2003, the Young brothers accepted a Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Service to Australian Music at the 2003 Music Winners Awards, during which Malcolm paid special tribute to Bon Scott, who was also a recipient of the award.


title: AC/DC

text: On 1 October 2004, a central Melbourne thoroughfare, Corporation Lane, was renamed ACDC Lane in honour of the band. The City of Melbourne forbade the use of the slash character in street names, so the four letters were combined. The lane is near Swanston Street where, on the back of a truck, the band recorded their video for the 1975 hit "It's a Long Way to the Top".


title: AC/DC

text: They sold over 1.3 million CDs in the US during 2007 despite not having released a new album since 2000 at that point. Additionally, the group's commercial success continues to flourish despite their choice to refrain from selling albums in digital online formats for many years. However, in November 2012, the entire catalogue (excluding the "TNT" album and the Australian versions of the "High Voltage", "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" and "Let There Be Rock" albums) became available on the iTunes Store.


title: AC/DC

text: In 2009, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) upgraded the group's US sales figures from 69 million to 71 million, making AC/DC the fifth-best-selling band in US history and the tenth-best-selling artist, selling more albums than Madonna and Mariah Carey. The RIAA also certified "Back in Black" as double Diamond (20 million) in US sales, and by 2007 the album had sold 25 million copies, which made it the fourth-best-selling album of all-time in the US.


title: Talulah Riley

text: Talulah Jane Riley-Milburn (born 26 September 1985) is an English actress and writer. She has appeared in films, including "Pride & Prejudice" (2005), "St Trinian's" (2007) and its sequel "" (2009), "The Boat That Rocked" (2009), and "Inception" (2010). Riley portrayed Angela on the HBO science-fiction Western television series "Westworld" (2016–2018) and Vivienne Westwood in the FX miniseries "Pistol" (2022).


title: Talulah Riley

text: Riley grew up in Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, the only child of Una Riley, founder of a security systems company and a public relations company, and Doug Milburn, formerly head of the National Crime Squad. , her father works as a screenwriter and has written episodes of "Silent Witness", "Prime Suspect" and "The Bill". Riley was educated at Cheltenham Ladies' College, independent Berkhamsted Collegiate School, and Haberdashers' Girls' School. While acting in London, she studied for a degree in Natural Sciences at the Open University.


title: Talulah Riley

text: Riley's television credits include episodes of "Poirot" (2003), "Marple" (2006), "Doctor Who" (2008's "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead"). She played Lila, a love-struck writer, in the short-lived E4 series "Nearly Famous" (2007). She played Angela in the first two seasons of the television series "Westworld".


title: Talulah Riley

text: Riley made her stage debut in "The Philadelphia Story" at the Old Vic in 2005. Her performance in a 2006 revival Tennessee Williams' "Summer and Smoke" was described by critic Rachel Read as being "delightful".


title: Talulah Riley

text: Riley played Mary Bennet in the 2005 version of "Pride and Prejudice", acted in the role of Marianne in 2009's "The Boat That Rocked", and starred in the 2007 film "St Trinian's" and its 2009 sequel "".


title: Talulah Riley

text: Riley appeared as a disguise used by Tom Hardy's character in "Inception" (2010). Also in 2010, "Love and Distrust" was released direct-to-video, featuring five unique short films; the first of these was "The Summer House", in which Riley was co-lead, opposite Robert Pattinson. Available as a standalone download, "The Summer House" was the number one film on iTunes worldwide on its first day of release, holding that position for several days. She also appeared in "White Frog".


title: Talulah Riley

text: Between 2009 and 2015, Riley developed an idea and story by her father into a screenplay, then ultimately directed (after being unable to hire another director to helm the project) and also starred in the resulting feature film "Scottish Mussel".


title: Talulah Riley

text: In June 2022, Riley released her second novel, "The Quickening," also published by Hodder & Soughton.


title: Talulah Riley

text: In the year 2011, she was named a "Brit to Watch" by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.


title: Talulah Riley

text: In 2008, Riley began dating Elon Musk; they married in 2010 at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland. In January 2012, Musk ended their relationship, and sought a divorce in March 2012.


title: Talulah Riley

text: In July 2013, Musk and Riley remarried. In a "60 Minutes" interview in 2014, the couple stated that they had reconciled and were living together again, along with Musk's five remaining children from his first marriage to writer Justine Musk. On 31 December 2014, Musk filed for divorce a second time although he later withdrew the action. After living separately for six months, Riley filed for a second divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court on 21 March 2016. The divorce was finalised in October 2016.


title: Talulah Riley

text: Since July 2022 it has been reported that Riley is dating actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster after meeting while working together on "Pistol".


title: Talulah Riley

text: During Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, text exchanges between Musk and Riley were released where she pleaded with him to buy Twitter, asking "Please do something to fight woke-ism. I will do anything to help! xx"


title: Christianity

text: Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.8 billion followers representing one-third of the global population. Its adherents, known as Christians, are estimated to make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories, and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, whose coming as the messiah was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament in Christianity) and chronicled in the New Testament.


title: Christianity

text: Christianity began as a Second Temple Judaic sect in the 1st century Hellenistic Judaism in the Roman province of Judea. Jesus' apostles and their followers spread around the Levant, Europe, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the South Caucasus, Ancient Carthage, Egypt, and Ethiopia, despite significant initial persecution. It soon attracted gentile God-fearers, which led to a departure from Jewish customs, and, after the Fall of Jerusalem, AD 70 which ended the Temple-based Judaism, Christianity slowly separated from Judaism.


title: Christianity

text: Christianity remains culturally diverse in its Western and Eastern branches, as well as in its doctrines concerning justification and the nature of salvation, ecclesiology, ordination, and Christology. The creeds of various Christian denominations generally hold in common Jesus as the Son of God—the Logos incarnated—who ministered, suffered, and died on a cross, but rose from the dead for the salvation of mankind; and referred to as the gospel, meaning the "good news". Describing Jesus' life and teachings are the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, with the Old Testament as the gospel's respected background.


title: Christianity

text: Emperor Constantine the Great decriminalized Christianity in the Roman Empire by the Edict of Milan (313), later convening the Council of Nicaea (325) where Early Christianity was consolidated into what would become the State church of the Roman Empire (380). The early history of Christianity's united church before major schisms is sometimes referred to as the "Great Church" (though divergent sects existed at the same time, including Gnostics, Marcionites, and Jewish Christians). The Church of the East split after the Council of Ephesus (431) and Oriental Orthodoxy split after the Council of Chalcedon (451) over differences in Christology, while the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church separated in the East–West Schism (1054), especially over the authority of the bishop of Rome. Protestantism split in numerous denominations from the Catholic Church in the Reformation era (16th century) over theological and ecclesiological disputes, most predominantly on the issue of justification and the primacy of the bishop of Rome. Christianity played a prominent role in the development of Western civilization, particularly in Europe from late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Following the Age of Discovery (15th–17th century), Christianity was spread into the Americas, Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and the rest of the world via missionary work and European colonialism especially during the period of new imperialism.


title: Christianity

text: The four largest branches of Christianity are the Catholic Church (1.3 billion), Protestantism (800 million), the Eastern Orthodox Church (220 million), and the Oriental Orthodox churches (60 million), though thousands of smaller church communities exist despite efforts toward unity (ecumenism). Despite a decline in adherence in the West, Christianity remains the dominant religion in the region, with about 70% of that population identifying as Christian. Christianity is growing in Africa and Asia, the world's most populous continents. Christians remain greatly persecuted in many regions of the world, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, East Asia, and South Asia.


title: Christianity

text: Early Jewish Christians referred to themselves as 'The Way' (), probably coming from , "prepare the way of the Lord". According to , the term "Christian" (, ), meaning "followers of Christ" in reference to Jesus's disciples, was first used in the city of Antioch by the non-Jewish inhabitants there. The earliest recorded use of the term "Christianity/Christianism" (, ) was by Ignatius of Antioch around 100 AD.


title: Christianity

text: While Christians worldwide share basic convictions, there are also differences of interpretations and opinions of the Bible and sacred traditions on which Christianity is based.


title: Christianity

text: Concise doctrinal statements or confessions of religious beliefs are known as creeds. They began as baptismal formulae and were later expanded during the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries to become statements of faith. "Jesus is Lord" is the earliest creed of Christianity and continues to be used, as with the World Council of Churches.


title: Christianity

text: The Apostles' Creed is the most widely accepted statement of the articles of Christian faith. It is used by a number of Christian denominations for both liturgical and catechetical purposes, most visibly by liturgical churches of Western Christian tradition, including the Latin Church of the Catholic Church, Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and Western Rite Orthodoxy. It is also used by Presbyterians, Methodists, and Congregationalists.


title: Christianity

text: This particular creed was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator. Each of the doctrines found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period. The creed was apparently used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Its points include:


title: Christianity

text: The Nicene Creed was formulated, largely in response to Arianism, at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in 325 and 381 respectively, and ratified as the universal creed of Christendom by the First Council of Ephesus in 431.


title: Christianity

text: The Chalcedonian Definition, or Creed of Chalcedon, developed at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, though rejected by the Oriental Orthodox, taught Christ "to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably": one divine and one human, and that both natures, while perfect in themselves, are nevertheless also perfectly united into one person.


title: Christianity

text: The Athanasian Creed, received in the Western Church as having the same status as the Nicene and Chalcedonian, says: "We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance".


title: Christianity

text: Most Christians (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Protestant alike) accept the use of creeds, and subscribe to at least one of the creeds mentioned above.


title: Christianity

text: Certain Evangelical Protestants, though not all of them, reject creeds as definitive statements of faith, even while agreeing with some or all of the substance of the creeds. For example, most Baptists do not use creeds "in that they have not sought to establish binding authoritative confessions of faith on one another". Also rejecting creeds are groups with roots in the Restoration Movement, such as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada, and the Churches of Christ.


title: Christianity

text: The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as savior of humanity and hold that Jesus' coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. The Christian concept of messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept. The core Christian belief is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus, sinful humans can be reconciled to God, and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life.


title: Christianity

text: While there have been many theological disputes over the nature of Jesus over the earliest centuries of Christian history, generally, Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate and "true God and true man" (or both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become fully human, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin. As fully God, he rose to life again. According to the New Testament, he rose from the dead, ascended to heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will ultimately return to fulfill the rest of the Messianic prophecy, including the resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment, and the final establishment of the Kingdom of God.


title: Christianity

text: According to the canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary. Little of Jesus' childhood is recorded in the canonical gospels, although infancy gospels were popular in antiquity. In comparison, his adulthood, especially the week before his death, is well documented in the gospels contained within the New Testament, because that part of his life is believed to be most important. The biblical accounts of Jesus' ministry include: his baptism, miracles, preaching, teaching, and deeds.


title: Christianity

text: Christians consider the resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith (see 1 Corinthians 15) and the most important event in history. Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two core events on which much of Christian doctrine and theology is based. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified, died a physical death, was buried within a tomb, and rose from the dead three days later.


title: Christianity

text: The New Testament mentions several post-resurrection appearances of Jesus on different occasions to his twelve apostles and disciples, including "more than five hundred brethren at once", before Jesus' ascension to heaven. Jesus' death and resurrection are commemorated by Christians in all worship services, with special emphasis during Holy Week, which includes Good Friday and Easter Sunday.


title: Christianity

text: The death and resurrection of Jesus are usually considered the most important events in Christian theology, partly because they demonstrate that Jesus has power over life and death and therefore has the authority and power to give people eternal life.


title: Christianity

text: Christian churches accept and teach the New Testament account of the resurrection of Jesus with very few exceptions. Some modern scholars use the belief of Jesus' followers in the resurrection as a point of departure for establishing the continuity of the historical Jesus and the proclamation of the early church. Some liberal Christians do not accept a literal bodily resurrection, seeing the story as richly symbolic and spiritually nourishing myth. Arguments over death and resurrection claims occur at many religious debates and interfaith dialogues. Paul the Apostle, an early Christian convert and missionary, wrote, "If Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless".


title: Christianity

text: Paul the Apostle, like Jews and Roman pagans of his time, believed that sacrifice can bring about new kinship ties, purity, and eternal life. For Paul, the necessary sacrifice was the death of Jesus: Gentiles who are "Christ's" are, like Israel, descendants of Abraham and "heirs according to the promise" The God who raised Jesus from the dead would also give new life to the "mortal bodies" of Gentile Christians, who had become with Israel, the "children of God", and were therefore no longer "in the flesh".


title: Christianity

text: Modern Christian churches tend to be much more concerned with how humanity can be saved from a universal condition of sin and death than the question of how both Jews and Gentiles can be in God's family. According to Eastern Orthodox theology, based upon their understanding of the atonement as put forward by Irenaeus' recapitulation theory, Jesus' death is a ransom. This restores the relation with God, who is loving and reaches out to humanity, and offers the possibility of "theosis" c.q. divinization, becoming the kind of humans God wants humanity to be. According to Catholic doctrine, Jesus' death satisfies the wrath of God, aroused by the offense to God's honor caused by human's sinfulness. The Catholic Church teaches that salvation does not occur without faithfulness on the part of Christians; converts must live in accordance with principles of love and ordinarily must be baptized. In Protestant theology, Jesus' death is regarded as a substitutionary penalty carried by Jesus, for the debt that has to be paid by humankind when it broke God's moral law.


title: Christianity

text: Christians differ in their views on the extent to which individuals' salvation is pre-ordained by God. Reformed theology places distinctive emphasis on grace by teaching that individuals are completely incapable of self-redemption, but that sanctifying grace is irresistible. In contrast Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Arminian Protestants believe that the exercise of free will is necessary to have faith in Jesus.


title: Christianity

text: "Trinity" refers to the teaching that the one God comprises three distinct, eternally co-existing persons: the "Father", the "Son" (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the "Holy Spirit". Together, these three persons are sometimes called the Godhead, although there is no single term in use in Scripture to denote the unified Godhead. In the words of the Athanasian Creed, an early statement of Christian belief, "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God". They are distinct from another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be divided from one another in being or in operation. While some Christians also believe that God appeared as the Father in the Old Testament, it is agreed that he appeared as the Son in the New Testament, and will still continue to manifest as the Holy Spirit in the present. But still, God still existed as three persons in each of these times. However, traditionally there is a belief that it was the Son who appeared in the Old Testament because, for example, when the Trinity is depicted in art, the Son typically has the distinctive appearance, a cruciform halo identifying Christ, and in depictions of the Garden of Eden, this looks forward to an Incarnation yet to occur. In some Early Christian sarcophagi the Logos is distinguished with a beard, "which allows him to appear ancient, even pre-existent".


title: Christianity

text: The Trinity is an essential doctrine of mainstream Christianity. From earlier than the times of the Nicene Creed (325) Christianity advocated 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.


title: Christianity

text: According to this doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God (see Perichoresis). The distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten; the Son being begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and (in Western Christian theology) from the Son. Regardless of this apparent difference, the three "persons" are each eternal and omnipotent. Other Christian religions including Unitarian Universalism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormonism, do not share those views on the Trinity.


title: Christianity

text: The Greek word "trias" is first seen in this sense in the works of Theophilus of Antioch; his text reads: "of the Trinity, of God, and of His Word, and of His Wisdom". The term may have been in use before this time; its Latin equivalent, "trinitas", appears afterwards with an explicit reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, in Tertullian. In the following century, the word was in general use. It is found in many passages of Origen.


title: Christianity

text: "Trinitarianism" denotes Christians who believe in the concept of the Trinity. Almost all Christian denominations and churches hold Trinitarian beliefs. Although the words "Trinity" and "Triune" do not appear in the Bible, beginning in the 3rd century theologians developed the term and concept to facilitate apprehension of the New Testament teachings of God as being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Since that time, Christian theologians have been careful to emphasize that Trinity does not imply that there are three gods (the antitrinitarian heresy of Tritheism), nor that each hypostasis of the Trinity is one-third of an infinite God (partialism), nor that the Son and the Holy Spirit are beings created by and subordinate to the Father (Arianism). Rather, the Trinity is defined as one God in three persons.


title: Christianity

text: "Nontrinitarianism" (or "antitrinitarianism") refers to theology that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. Various nontrinitarian views, such as adoptionism or modalism, existed in early Christianity, leading to the disputes about Christology. Nontrinitarianism reappeared in the Gnosticism of the Cathars between the 11th and 13th centuries, among groups with Unitarian theology in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, in the 18th-century Enlightenment, amongst Restorationist groups arising during the Second Great Awakening of the 19th century, and most recently, in Oneness Pentecostal churches.


title: Christianity

text: The end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of the world, broadly speaking, is Christian eschatology; the study of the destiny of humans as it is revealed in the Bible. The major issues in Christian eschatology are the Tribulation, death and the afterlife, (mainly for Evangelical groups) the Millennium and the following Rapture, the Second Coming of Jesus, Resurrection of the Dead, Heaven, (for liturgical branches) Purgatory, and Hell, the Last Judgment, the end of the world, and the New Heavens and New Earth.


title: Christianity

text: Christians believe that the second coming of Christ will occur at the end of time, after a period of severe persecution (the Great Tribulation). All who have died will be resurrected bodily from the dead for the Last Judgment. Jesus will fully establish the Kingdom of God in fulfillment of scriptural prophecies.


title: Christianity

text: Most Christians believe that human beings experience divine judgment and are rewarded either with eternal life or eternal damnation. This includes the general judgement at the resurrection of the dead as well as the belief (held by Catholics, Orthodox and most Protestants) in a judgment particular to the individual soul upon physical death.


title: Christianity

text: In the Catholic branch of Christianity, those who die in a state of grace, i.e., without any mortal sin separating them from God, but are still imperfectly purified from the effects of sin, undergo purification through the intermediate state of purgatory to achieve the holiness necessary for entrance into God's presence. Those who have attained this goal are called "saints" (Latin "sanctus", "holy").


title: Christianity

text: Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists, hold to mortalism, the belief that the human soul is not naturally immortal, and is unconscious during the intermediate state between bodily death and resurrection. These Christians also hold to Annihilationism, the belief that subsequent to the final judgement, the wicked will cease to exist rather than suffer everlasting torment. Jehovah's Witnesses hold to a similar view.


title: Christianity

text: Depending on the specific denomination of Christianity, practices may include baptism, the Eucharist (Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper), prayer (including the Lord's Prayer), confession, confirmation, burial rites, marriage rites and the religious education of children. Most denominations have ordained clergy who lead regular communal worship services.


title: Christianity

text: Christian rites, rituals, and ceremonies are not celebrated in one single sacred language. Many ritualistic Christian churches make a distinction between sacred language, liturgical language and vernacular language. The three important languages in the early Christian era were: Latin, Greek and Syriac.


title: Christianity

text: Services of worship typically follow a pattern or form known as liturgy. Justin Martyr described 2nd-century Christian liturgy in his "First Apology" () to Emperor Antoninus Pius, and his description remains relevant to the basic structure of Christian liturgical worship:


title: Christianity

text: Thus, as Justin described, Christians assemble for communal worship typically on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, though other liturgical practices often occur outside this setting. Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New Testaments, but especially the gospels. Instruction is given based on these readings, in the form of a sermon or homily. There are a variety of congregational prayers, including thanksgiving, confession, and intercession, which occur throughout the service and take a variety of forms including recited, responsive, silent, or sung. Psalms, hymns, worship songs, and other church music may be sung. Services can be varied for special events like significant feast days.


title: Christianity

text: Nearly all forms of worship incorporate the Eucharist, which consists of a meal. It is reenacted in accordance with Jesus' instruction at the Last Supper that his followers do in remembrance of him as when he gave his disciples bread, saying, "This is my body", and gave them wine saying, "This is my blood". In the early church, Christians and those yet to complete initiation would separate for the Eucharistic part of the service. Some denominations such as Confessional Lutheran churches continue to practice 'closed communion'. They offer communion to those who are already united in that denomination or sometimes individual church. Catholics further restrict participation to their members who are not in a state of mortal sin. Many other churches, such as Anglican Communion and United Methodist Church, practice 'open communion' since they view communion as a means to unity, rather than an end, and invite all believing Christians to participate.


title: Christianity

text: In Christian belief and practice, a "sacrament" is a rite, instituted by Christ, that confers grace, constituting a sacred mystery. The term is derived from the Latin word "sacramentum", which was used to translate the Greek word for "mystery". Views concerning both which rites are sacramental, and what it means for an act to be a sacrament, vary among Christian denominations and traditions.


title: Christianity

text: The most conventional functional definition of a sacrament is that it is an outward sign, instituted by Christ, that conveys an inward, spiritual grace through Christ. The two most widely accepted sacraments are Baptism and the Eucharist; however, the majority of Christians also recognize five additional sacraments: Confirmation (Chrismation in the Eastern tradition), Holy Orders (or ordination), Penance (or Confession), Anointing of the Sick, and Matrimony (see Christian views on marriage).