Though I am a Georgia native, I have yet to see some of the state’s more unusual points of interest; and a couple of weeks ago I decided to make a short trip to Elberton GA and visit the Georgia Guidestones, one of the state’s lesser known but more controversial attractions. Often referred to as America’s Stonehenge, yet centuries younger, the Georgia Guidestones are just as mysterious, with little known about the forces or individuals behind their construction.
Located on an obscure hilltop near Elberton GA, the Guidestones were erected in 1980, but there is scarce information about who funded the project or why. Below I’ve listed a brief history of the Georgia Guidestones:
The story of the monument begins in June, 1979 when a man calling himself, R. C. Christian (a name he admitted was not his own) entered Elberton Granite Finishing Company and described an elaborate monument he desired to have constructed. Requesting five stone monoliths approximately 20 ft high with a single, connecting granite capstone, Christian ordered that each side be inscribed with information he would provide outlining ten guides for humanity, and that the guides were to be translated into 8 languages. Additionally, he also indicated that shorter inscriptions in Classical Greek, Sanskrit, Babylonian cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphics be placed on the capstone.
The inscriptions on the Guidestones read as follows:
Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature
Guide reproduction wisely—improving fitness and diversity
Unite humanity with a living new language
Rule passion—faith—tradition—and all things with tempered reason
Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts
Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
Avoid petty and useless officials
Balance personal rights with social duties
Prize truth—beauty—love—seeking harmony with the infinite
Be not a cancer on the earth—Leave room for nature—Leave room for nature
The stones are astronomically aligned and there is an eye-level slit cut into one stone allowing viewers to see the rising sun at the summer and winter solstices. There is also a two-inch hole that is cut at an angle of 34 degrees and which points to the north celestial pole. A hole in the capstone acts as both clock and calendar, allowing sunlight to pass through forming a spot of light at the base which indicates high noon and the day of the year.
Nearby, a raised granite marker provides a brief history of the Guidestones, and closer to the monument an additional slab was placed at ground level. The second tablet describes the Guidestones and the languages used on them. The marker also lists various facts about the size, weight, and astronomical features of the stones and the date the Guidestones were erected. An inscription also states that a time capsule was buried under the slab, but the dates showing when the capsule was buried and when it is to be opened have been left blank, so it is unclear whether or not the capsule is actually there. There is also an inscription that states:
LET THESE BE
GUIDESTONES
TO AN AGE
OF REASON
Most of those in opposition to the monument find the first “guide” the most objectionable, for if humanity is to be maintained at 500 million, then more than 6 billion people must somehow be eliminated. Such a sobering thought raises questions as to how the builders felt such a reduction in population might be accomplished. But the objections don’t end with the prospect of population control; many are concerned about the reference to a world court and a universal language.
Although much has been written about the Georgia Guidestones, they remain shrouded in mystery more than thirty years following their construction. And while some view them as a curse, erected by a satanic or other sinister group; others see them as pointing to a better, more harmonious future. Whatever their purpose and whoever their sponsors may be, the Guidestones continue to attract visitors to Elbert County and this quiet Georgia community.
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