How perfect. The director of some of Hollywood's most revoltingly violent, sexually explicit, culturally corrosive movies has an even more destructive hobby on the side: iconoclasm.
Paul Verhoeven, director of "Basic Instinct," "Robocop" and "Showgirls," turns out to be a member of the academically suspect Jesus Seminar, and in September he will publish a book attacking the foundational Christian doctrine that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
For the past twenty years, the Dutch filmmaker has reportedly been attending meetings of the Jesus Seminar and researching his biography, "Jesus of Nazareth: A Realistic Portrait." Fox News quotes a spokesman for Amsterdam publishing house J.M. Meulenhoff saying Verhoeven "hopes it will be a springboard" for making a movie about Jesus' life.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Verhoeven concludes in his book that Jesus was, "probably the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee. Verhoeven also claims that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot."
None of this is surprising for a member of the Jesus Seminar, a bastion of liberal scholars who assert that Jesus didn't actually say at least 80 percent of the statements ascribed to him in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Critics say the Seminar rejects the accounts of Jesus' miracles and claims of divinity because of their pre-existing theological positions, leaving only the Jesus of their imagination, a preacher of an egalitarian, revolutionary social gospel.
How "realistic" Verhoeven's portrait of Jesus will be is in hot dispute. According to the Associated Press, Jesus Seminar founder John Dominic Crossan, "said that while Verhoeven was a [Seminar] member in good standing, there is little evidence for the view that Jesus was illegitimate." Verhoeven is not a Biblical scholar. He holds a doctorate in mathematics and physics.
Verhoeven directed one of the most disappointing movies in recent years, "Starship Troopers." The movie was based on Robert Heinlein's book of the same name, a powerful, controversial science fiction novel that delved deeply into human nature, the tension between rights and responsibilities, and the relationship between the individual and society. Verhoeven eviscerated Heinlein's masterpiece, reducing a provocative discourse on the philosophy of governance into a cosmic shoot-em-up between humans and a race of aliens resembling giant lobsters.
From all accounts, Verhoeven plans to do something similar to the New Testament.
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Here we go again
April 28, 2008 - 16:51 ET by Davester65Like I said in the post I put in the last time this story was brought up. This BS has been going around for a long time (try 1st century Roman anti Christian propaganda). Can't these nit wits come up with something original for a change? Oh, wait, that would take real talent and intelligence. Sorry, there's precious little of that left in Hollyweird.
backlash
April 28, 2008 - 17:08 ET by pbdmillerSo will thousands of angry Christians to take to the streets calling for Verhoeven's beheading? Tempting, but I think not.
Son of Almighty God or Son of a Roman Rapist. What a maroon.
Whoa...deja vu?
April 28, 2008 - 18:42 ET by balboaWhoa...deja vu?
Verhoeven's as much of a
April 28, 2008 - 19:06 ET by suzycreamcheeseVerhoeven's as much of a theologian as Al Gore is a scientist. Prompt attention won't be paid here, either.
A Roman?
April 28, 2008 - 19:40 ET by GalvanicMaybe he meant to finger convicted child rapist Roman Polanski, but screwed it up in translation.
but you can't say anthing bad about mohommed and islam
April 28, 2008 - 20:33 ET by lunaticcringeradiooooh we can't make cartoons, or criticise, or in general say anything other than nice happy things about mohommed and islam.
hhhhhhmmmmm what can i say, mohommed liked to dress in a burqa to feel pretty. how's that islam, mohommed was a sissy. of course i have no proof to substantiate that, i'm just saying to prove a fact that chrisitians are much more tollerant and have a stronger self esteem than muslims, and i say that considering i don't consider myself a christian.
i hope i get my own personal jihad. you muslim bombers can reach me at lunaticcringeradio. i can always use the ratings.
if that doesn't do it, then mohommed had a pig farm for nighttime sex. now come blow me up. prove that you are intollerant and have a weak faith. a good christian with the slightest amout of self esteem doesn't let these kinds of ridiculous things bother them.
lunaticcringeradio
Does It Really Change Anyone's Opinion About Jesus?
April 28, 2008 - 21:30 ET by The7SticksI've said it before that Paul Verhoven makes his reputation off of creating controversy with shock value. Truthfully, I don't think he even realizes the double standard that is applied on Islam because I think he, like a lot of other liberals (as well as some certain libertarians, like me, who just don't like organized religion), don't recognize that Islam presents an even bigger threat to our hedonist ways than Christianity could ever do.
All I can say is that Verhoven's claims that Jesus was a product of rape do not change any of my opinions about Jesus. In the secular Jewish view I subscribe to, he is simply the son of our God from the Old Testament, but he did perform miracles and practiced tolerance unless confronted by a violent threat.
The best way to overcome this problem, in my opinion, is to turn the other cheek. People do too much to overreact at these non-issues, which traditionally cause publicity rather than condemnation. Despite protests from the Church over the purported conspiracy theories in promoted, as well as a couple of nasty reviews from the Cannes Film Festival and some film critics, The Da Vinci Code was one of the biggest hits of 2006. It's simply best to ignore this issue and let Paul Verhoven live in a self-delusional world where he can isolate himself with his conspiracy theories.
Well 7 sticks...
April 28, 2008 - 21:46 ET by MightyMouthI as a Christian, am almost offended by your words. So in the spirit of bi-partisianship I reject your entire post (except the last sentence).
tada!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
→ Hey sticks
April 28, 2008 - 21:52 ET by Cool ArrowYou reject the Deity of Jesus at your own peril.
But I'm seeing more and more of this in recent days.
♣ a seal
well as a consv/libertarian myself you couldn't be more wrong
April 28, 2008 - 22:47 ET by lunaticcringeradioi can't think of the last time a christian, being not a klan member who hijacked christianity that christian denounce, or a david koresh(sp) who christians denounce, or for example hitler who considered himself a christian who christians denounce, but an everyday practicing christian has for as far as i can recall not presented a threat to anyone(threats do not include simply publicly verbally disagreeing with some social points of view). but there are approximately 120 scuffles, conflicts, and wars that are currently underway in our modern era and about 100 of them are being perpetuated by fundamentally islamic groups. i think the modern scorecard of dangerous christians and dangerous, head sawing off, suicide bombing islamists would fill a bingo card pretty quick if you stand them toe to toe.
the only "christian" i can think of whose actions would not be condoned by mainstream chrisitians, who was dangerous, was that guy, roudolph i think, the guy who blew up the atlanta olympic parkwho had a crazy warped mindset.
i think the odds are on the crazy islamist being a bigger threat, and your arguement is a capitulating appologist stance. the facts simply support one over the other.
BOOOOOM. what was that noise in the market place, well you can probably bet it wasn't a christian blowing himself up.
when did a christian last commit a suicide bombing?
when did a christian last hijack a plane and fly it into a building?
etc.
etc
etc.
oh them dangerous christians. i can't recall them making death threat jihads about the davinci code movie, but there were islamic terrorists caught planning to kill the guy who made that bombhead mohommed cartoon. get your priorities straight.
lunaticcringeradio
and this is new?
April 28, 2008 - 22:05 ET by pmohbucksomeone in hollywood pretending to be an intellectual? since when does the director of "robocop" and "showgirls" carry enough clout to cast himself as an authority on anything? that's what's so funny about hollywood ... when one role doesn't work out they can always pretend to be someone else.
...when one role doesn't
April 28, 2008 - 22:08 ET by bigtimer...when one role doesn't work out they can always pretend to be someone else.
LOL pmho...
They don't call it la-la-land for nothing...
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Verhoeven is about 29 years
April 29, 2008 - 06:18 ET by Mean Gene Dr. LoveVerhoeven is about 29 years too late. Monty Python already made that movie it's called: Monty Python's The Life of Brian. At least that one was meant to be a farce.
"An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life." --Robert A. Heinlein, "Beyond This Horizon", 1942
He's a very, very naughty
April 29, 2008 - 06:38 ET by Jack BauerHe's a very, very naughty boy!