About two thousand years ago, there was an opportunity. The opportunity is gone forever.

[Boojatta]

Public figures who greatly influence public opinion are often subject to aggrandizement or attack, according to the attitudes of those who aggrandize or attack them. The occasion of the death of a public figure is no exception to the rule. To the contrary, the death of a public figure often triggers a huge outpouring of both aggrandizement and attacks. The reason is obvious. The dead public figure will never again be able to actively influence public opinion.

Supporters and opponents of a public figure who recently died often frame his or her life in a biased way. They will never again have as great an opportunity to do that, because the days following the public figure’s death are the days when the greatest number of people will be thinking about that public figure.

Two thousand years ago, there was a large number of people who were talking about Jesus, some expressing disapproval and others expressing approval. Nowadays people want to talk only about Russert and his weekly TV show "Meet the Good News Givers."

(Above slightly modified after being shamelessly stolen from DU member Time for change.)

[greyl]

1. There was a lot more going on than that little story 2000 years ago. nt

[Meshuga]

4. Yep,

Imagine stories of figures who were perhaps more well known (as far as number of people) to other civilizations that we will never know about because records and people have been destroyed by ignorant colonizers and "conquistadores".

[Boojatta]

2. Kick

[ZombieHorde]

3. Christianity constantly changes to fit the times.

The opportunity is still alive today. Consider JC's North American views on homosexuality and witchcraft in 1692, the 1950's, and today.