Hollywood Director: "Jesus Was the Son of Mary and a Roman Soldier"

A Hollywood director has written a new "biography" of Jesus that has some pretty wild claims:

In his upcoming biography of Jesus, "Basic Instinct" director Paul Verhoeven will make the shocking claim that Christ probably was the son of Mary and a Roman soldier who raped her during the Jewish uprising in Galilee, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Verhoeven also writes that Christ was not betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 original apostles of Jesus, as the New Testament states.

The 69-year-old Dutch-born director, best known for directing the famous Sharon Stone crotch scene in "Basic Instinct" and who also directed "Showgirls," starring Elizabeth Berkley in one of the most panned films of the '90s, claims he and co-biographer Rob van Scheers have written the most realistic portrayal of Jesus ever published.

The book, to be published in the Netherlands by Amsterdam-based Meulenhoff, took Verhoeven more than 20 years to research, and is due out in September, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Verhoeven is in discussions for an English-language version, the showbusiness newspaper reported.

Verhoeven directed such sci-fi action hits as "Total Recall" and "RoboCop," as well as the sci-fi bust "Starship Troopers."

Over the years, Verhoeven, who is Catholic and holds a doctorate in mathematics and physics from the University of Leiden, was a regular attendee of seminars by religion scholar Robert W. Funk, who died in 2005. Those seminars called into question miracles and statements attributed to Jesus.

Verhoeven, who turns 70 in July, reportedly has had a lifelong ambition to make a film about Jesus, based on scientific research. Verhoeven decided to write the book to raise interest in the project, according to the report.

I'll bet the Pope is proud to have this guy in his flock, especially given the Catholic Church's worship of the Virgin Mary.

Just as an interesting sidenote, why is Verhoeven free to write such a book? Because Christians won't riot around the world and call for the removal of his head. Although a book like this is profoundly offensive to Christians, we believe you're free to be stupid if you wish. After all (to quote a Hebrew National hot dog commercial), someday he'll have to answer to a higher authority.