Georgia Guidestones – Wikipedia
Posted By admin on October 27, 2022
Former granite monument in Georgia, US
The Georgia Guidestones was a granite monument that stood in Elbert County, Georgia, United States, from 1980 to 2022. It was 19feet 3inches (5.87m) tall and made from six granite slabs weighing a total of 237,746 pounds (107,840kg).[1] The structure was sometimes referred to as an "American Stonehenge".[2][3] The monument's creators believed that there was going to be an upcoming social, nuclear, or economic calamity and they wanted the monument to serve as a guide for humanity in the world which would exist after it.[4] It initially garnered little controversy, but it ultimately became the subject of conspiracy theories which alleged that it was connected to Satanism.[5]On the morning of July 6, 2022, the guidestones were heavily damaged in a bombing,[2][6] and were dismantled later that day.[7][8] In late July, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves announced plans to rebuild the monument.[9] However, on August 8, the Elberton city council voted to donate the remains of the monument to the Elberton Granite Association and return the five acres of land on which the monument was erected to its previous owner.[10]
In June 1979, a man using the pseudonym Robert C. Christian approached the Elberton Granite Finishing Company on behalf of "a small group of loyal Americans", and commissioned the structure. Christian explained that the stones would function as a compass, calendar, and clock, and should be capable of "withstanding catastrophic events".[1] The man reportedly used the pseudonym as a reference to the Christian religion.[2][11] Christian said that he wanted to build a granite monument that would rival the British Neolithic monument Stonehenge, he drew inspiration from the structure after he paid a visit to it.[12][13] However, he said that while it was impressive, Stonehenge had no message to communicate.[13]
Joe Fendley of Elberton Granite believed that Christian was "a nut" and he attempted to discourage him by providing a price quote for the commission which was several times higher than any project which the company had previously undertaken, explaining that the construction of the guidestones would require additional tools and consultants. To Fendley's surprise, Christian accepted the quote.[1] When arranging payment, Christian claimed that he represented a group which had been planning to construct the guidestones for 20 years and wanted to remain anonymous.[1] Christian said he had chosen Elbert County because of its abundance of local granite, the rural nature of its landscape, its mild climate, and family ties to the region.[2][14][4] The total cost of the project was not revealed, but it was over US$100,000 (equivalent to $373,361 in 2021).[4]
Christian delivered a scale model of the guidestones and ten pages of specifications.[1] The 5-acre (2-hectare) site was purchased by Christian from a local farm owner.[15] The owner and his children were given lifetime cattle grazing rights on the guidestones site.[1] The monument was located off of Georgia State Route 77 around 7 miles (11km) north of the city of Elberton.[16][17][18]
On March 22, 1980, the monument was unveiled by congressman Doug Barnard before an audience of between 200 and 300 people.[13][2] At the unveiling, the Master of Ceremonies read a message to the gathered audience:
"In order to avoid debate, we the sponsors of the Georgia Guidestones have a simple message for human beings, now and for the future. We believe our precepts are sound, and they must stand on their own merits."
Christian later transferred ownership of the land and the guidestones to Elbert County.[15] By 1981, barbed wire fencing had to be erected around the monument to keep cattle out, as they had been using it for a scratching post.[4]A man who identified himself as Robert Christian published a book titled Common Sense Renewed (1986), which described the ideology of the guidestones. The author wrote:
"I am the originator of the Georgia Guidestones and the sole author of its inscriptions. I have had the assistance of a number of other American citizens in bringing the monument into being. We have no mysterious purposes or ulterior motives. We seek common sense pathways to a peaceful world, without bias for particular creeds or philosophies."
Fendley believed that the monument would become a regional tourist attraction.[12] As of 2022, 20,000 annual visitors were reported.[20]
Dark Clouds Over Elberton: The True Story of the Georgia Guidestones (2015) is a documentary film purporting to expose the true identity of Robert Christian.[21] The makers of the documentary claimed to have investigated and interviewed a banker who was involved in the financial arrangements for the construction of the monument.[22]
The monument was controversial even before it was unveiled. Some locals referred to its construction as 'the devil's work'. A local minister warned that "occult groups" would visit the site and that a sacrifice was imminent. A 2009 Wired article also noted that sandblaster Charlie Clamp spent hundreds of hours on the etching, during which time he was "constantly distracted by "strange music and disjointed voices".[1]
In 2008, the stones were defaced with polyurethane paint and graffiti with slogans such as "Death to the New World Order".[23] Wired magazine called the defacement "the first serious act of vandalism in the guidestones' history".[1] In September 2014, an employee of the Elbert County maintenance department contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation when the stones were vandalized with graffiti including the phrase: "I Am Isis, goddess of love."[24] After the acts of vandalism, security cameras were installed on the site.[20]
Kandiss Taylor, a candidate in the 2022 Georgia Republican gubernatorial primary, called the Guidestones "Satanic" in a campaign ad; her campaign platform called for the monument to be removed.[2][5]
On July 6, 2022, an explosive device exploded at the site, destroying the Swahili/Hindi language slab and causing significant damage to the capstone. Nearby residents reportedly heard and felt explosions at around 4:00 a.m.[25][20] CCTV footage recorded a vehicle leaving the scene and police investigated the incident.[20] The remaining stones were dismantled by authorities for safety reasons later in the day with a backhoe, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).[26][3] The Elberton Star reported that digging showed no evidence that there was ever a time capsule located beneath the Georgia Guidestones.[27]
The Elbert County Sheriff's Office investigated the bombing, with assistance from the GBI.[28] On the evening of the bombing, the GBI released a video showing both the explosion, and a vehicle of interest leaving the scene shortly before.[29] No motive has been publicly shared, and no suspects publicly identified.[30] On July 14, 2022, and again on July 25, 2022, the GBI gave an update, with no significant progress on the case being made since the bombing.[31][32] The guidestones were maintained by the county, and as such, were considered a public building, thus their destruction would carry a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.[33]
In late July of 2022, Elberton Mayor Daniel Graves said the town planned to rebuild the monument exactly as it was, adding "We're just getting geared up and excited about rebuilding them. It's going to happen. It may take us six months to a year to do it, but we are going to do it."[9] On August 8, 2022, the Elberton city council voted to begin legal proceedings to return the five acres of land the monument had been built on to its previous owner, a local farm. The city council announced that the remains of the monument, which had been moved to a third-party location for safety reasons, would be given to the Elberton Granite Association. Both the Elberton Granite Association and the Elberton city council expressed doubt that the guidestones would be rebuilt, but expressed hope that one day it could happen.[10]
A message consisting of a set of ten guidelines or principles was engraved on the Georgia Guidestones in eight different languages, one language on each face of the four large upright stones. Moving clockwise around the structure from due north, these languages were English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Traditional Chinese, and Russian.[11] The languages were chosen because they represented most of humanity, except for Hebrew, which was chosen because of its connections to Judaism and Christianity.[11] According to the monument's sponsors, the inscriptions are meant to guide humanity to conserve nature after a nuclear war, which the creators thought was an imminent threat.[11][13] The inscriptions dealt with four main themes: "governance and the establishment of a world government, population and reproduction control, the environment and humankind's relationship to nature, and spirituality."[2]
The inscription read:[2][23]
A few feet to the west of the monument, an additional granite ledger had been set level with the ground. This tablet identified the structure and the languages used on it and listed various facts about the size, weight, and astronomical features of the stones, the date it was installed, and the sponsors of the project. It referred to a time capsule buried under the tablet, but blank spaces on the stone intended for filling in the dates on which the capsule was buried and was to be opened had not been inscribed, so it was uncertain if the time capsule was ever actually put in place. During the removal of the monument in July 2022, county officials dug six feet down underneath this tablet to check for a time capsule, but found nothing.[34]
The text of the explanatory tablet was somewhat inconsistent with respect to punctuation and misspelled the word "pseudonym". The original spelling, punctuation, and line breaks in the text have been preserved in the transcription (letter case is not). At the top center of the tablet was written:
The Georgia GuidestonesCenter cluster erected March 22, 1980
Immediately below this was the outline of a square, inside which was written:
Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason
Around the edges of the square were written translations to four ancient languages, one per edge. Starting from the top and proceeding clockwise, they were: Babylonian (in cuneiform script), Classical Greek, Sanskrit and Ancient Egyptian (in hieroglyphs).[11][4]
On the left side of the tablet was a column of text (metric conversion added):
Astronomic features1. Channel through stoneindicates celestial pole2. Horizontal slot indicatesannual travel of sun3. Sunbeam through capstonemarks noontime throughoutthe year
Author: R.C. Christian(a pseudonyn) [sic]
Sponsors: A small groupof Americans who seekthe Age of Reason
Time CapsulePlaced six feet [1.83 m] below this spotOnTo be opened on
The words appeared as shown under the time capsule heading; no dates were engraved.
On the right side of the tablet was a column of text (metric conversions added):
PHYSICAL DATA
Below the two columns of text were written the caption "GUIDESTONE LANGUAGES", with a diagram of the granite slab layout beneath it. The names of eight modern languages were inscribed along the long edges of the projecting rectangles, one per edge. Starting from due north and moving clockwise around so that the upper edge of the northeast rectangle was listed first, they were English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. At the bottom center of the tablet was the text:
Additional information available at Elberton Granite Museum & ExhibitCollege AvenueElberton, Georgia
The four outer stones were oriented to mark the limits of the 18.6 year lunar declination cycle.[35] The center column featured a hole drilled at an angle from one side to the other, through which the North Star could be seen. The same pillar had a slot carved through it which was aligned with the Sun's solstices and equinoxes. A 78-in (22 mm) aperture in the capstone allowed a ray of sun to pass through at noon each day, shining a beam on the center stone indicating the day of the year.[1]University of Georgia Astronomer Loris Magnani referred to these features as "mediocre at best" and sees them as "an abacus compared to Stonehenges computer".[36]
When commissioning the guidestones, Christian described them as a guide for future generations to manage limited resources, potentially in the face of nuclear war.[13] Yoko Ono said the inscribed messages were "a stirring call to rational thinking".[1] However, the guidestones' inscriptions have also been accused of promoting eugenics and genocide.[1][37][38]
The guidestones became a subject of interest for conspiracy theorists.[2] Wired stated that unspecified opponents have labeled them the "Ten Commandments of the Antichrist".[1] Some conservative Christians have called the monument Satanic.[5]
Right-wing activist Mark Dice demanded that the guidestones should "be smashed into a million pieces, and then the rubble should be used for a construction project",[39] claiming that the guidestones are of "a deep Satanic origin", and that R. C. Christian belongs to "a Luciferian secret society" related to the New World Order.[1] At the unveiling of the monument, a local minister proclaimed that he believed that the monument was "for sun worshipers, for cult worship and for devil worship".[40] [1][39]
Conspiracy theorist Jay Weidner has said that the pseudonym of the man who commissioned the stones "R. C. Christian" resembles Rose Cross Christian, or Christian Rosenkreuz, the founder of the Rosicrucian Order.[1] Others who agree with Weidner point to the Rosicrucians first manifesto written in 1614, which states The word R.C. should be their seal, mark and character. They also see similarities between the writing on the capstone, and the title of (Rosicrucian) Thomas Paines The Age of Reason.[36]
Read the original here:
Georgia Guidestones - Wikipedia
- Zionism - ADL - December 29th, 2022
- Split of Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Noam parties approved ... - December 29th, 2022
- Netanyahu government reconnects with "revisionist Zionism" - December 29th, 2022
- Bezalel Smotrich, the Leader of the Nationalist Religious Zionism Party, is Poised to ... - Latest Tweet by - LatestLY - December 29th, 2022
- Book review: Zionism During the Holocaust: The Weaponisation of ... - Middle East Monitor - December 25th, 2022
- Hundreds of US rabbis pledge to block extremists in Israeli government from speaking in their communities - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - December 25th, 2022
- Why well fight Israels new extremist political agenda with the determination of the Maccabees - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - December 25th, 2022
- Israels Election Empowers a More Muscular Religious Zionism - December 18th, 2022
- The Noahide Laws :: Zionism Exposed - December 15th, 2022
- Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB - October 27th, 2022
- Knesset - Wikipedia - October 27th, 2022
- Changing Attitudes towards Zionism among American JewsAn Interview with Zachary Lockman - MERIP - October 17th, 2022
- Berkeley Law Faculty Condemn Refusing Zionist Speakers - Inside Higher Ed - October 17th, 2022
- Kanye West's Twitter account locked for anti-Semitic tweet - KCRA Sacramento - October 10th, 2022
- Lead role in play about antisemitism for leading light of anti-Zionism - The Times of Israel - October 10th, 2022
- Why the US congress and Canadian Parliament ordered Twitter to erase Laith Marouf from Virtual existence - Al Mayadeen English - October 10th, 2022
- Zionism During the Holocaust: The Weaponization of Memory in the Service of State and Nation - Book Review - Palestine Chronicle - October 6th, 2022
- What is a Zionist? Liz Truss calls herself a 'huge Zionist' as she pledges support to Israel - The Scotsman - October 6th, 2022
- The worst college story you'll read all year - Religion News Service - September 16th, 2022
- Jewish teen advocacy: What is it and how does it lead to the new American Jew? - eJewish Philanthropy - September 13th, 2022
- Your Daily Phil: GatherDC expands to West Coast + Nourishment for the Jewish soul - eJewish Philanthropy - September 13th, 2022
- 'The New York Times,' Zionism and Israel - JNS.org - September 13th, 2022
- DOE opens investigation into antisemitic incidents at the University of Vermont - Jewish Insider - September 13th, 2022
- Lebanese Expert: U.S. and Zionism Are Behind Hitler, ISIS - Middle East Media Research Institute - September 13th, 2022
- An anti-Semitism expert says that progressives 'have the right to exclude Zionists' - Middle East Monitor - September 11th, 2022
- Biden Said it Best: You Don't Have to Be Jewish to Be a Zionist - Jewish Journal - August 6th, 2022
- ED launches Title VI investigation into USC - Inside Higher Ed - August 1st, 2022
- 'I Solemnly Demand That Anti-Zionism Be Banned in France,' Parliamentary Deputy Declares - Algemeiner - August 1st, 2022
- Editor Who Pushed Anti-Zionism Gets a Promotion at New York Times - Algemeiner - August 1st, 2022
- Zionism And The Power To Rule Over Others - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - August 1st, 2022
- In The Zionist Megiddo Prison - Countercurrents.org - August 1st, 2022
- An idea of inclusive India - Business Standard - July 10th, 2022
- Roadmap from critics of Israel sends chill through Jewish community - The Boston Globe - June 26th, 2022
- I am a Jewish Crimson Editor, and I See the Writing on the Wallof Resistance | Opinion - Harvard Crimson - June 26th, 2022
- Review of Judaism 3.0: Judaism's Transformation To Zionism - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 26th, 2022
- BDS-promoted mapping project is antisemitic and must be condemned - The Boston Globe - June 14th, 2022
- A Journey to June 1967 and Back: On the Fabricated Narratives of Zionism - Palestine Chronicle - June 14th, 2022
- Were Early Zionists Terrorists? - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - June 14th, 2022
- 100 years ago this month: When Congress embraced Zionismunanimously - JNS.org - June 10th, 2022
- The Soviet origins of left-wing anti-Zionism - JNS.org - June 10th, 2022
- Israel's Destruction Is Championed at the University of Chicago - Algemeiner - June 10th, 2022
- Anti-Zionism is a genocidal ideology | Eyal Bitton | The Blogs - June 4th, 2022
- The Silver Platter - (Silver Salver) Nathan Alterman - Poem - June 4th, 2022
- Zionism, Policing and Empire: A dispatch from the Mapping Project - Mondoweiss - June 4th, 2022
- Review of Legacy of Empire: Britain, Zionism and the Creation of Israel - Middle East Forum - June 2nd, 2022
- Zionism of Strength and Humility | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - June 2nd, 2022
- First Zionist Congress - Wikipedia - May 27th, 2022
- Statement in Support of The Harvard Crimson and Palestinian Liberation | Opinion - Harvard Crimson - May 27th, 2022
- New book: A 'Queer, Disabled' early Zionist illustrates 'roads not taken' J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - May 25th, 2022
- Group reports record tally of antisemitic incidents in 2021 - ABC News - April 29th, 2022
- Why Did an Antisemitic Christian Zionist Have the Chutzpah to Declare That He'd Be Leading a Holocaust March? - Religion Dispatches - April 29th, 2022
- The Babylonian Talmud - Zionism Exposed - April 20th, 2022
- LIVE EVENT - War, Conflict, and Academic Freedom (21 April) - Jadaliyya - April 20th, 2022
- The cause, and the goal, of Israeli violence - Al Jazeera English - April 20th, 2022
- 67 years after his death, Albert Einstein's true relationship to Judaism and Zionism - St. Louis Jewish Light - April 20th, 2022
- Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism on the College Campus - jewishboston.com - April 20th, 2022
- Why is this night and this year different than all other nights? - Wisconsin Examiner - April 16th, 2022
- Temple Israel series to focus on antisemitism, anti-Zionism - Cleveland Jewish News - April 16th, 2022
- Controversy Over Israel Studies At University Of Washington Did Not Have To Happen - Forbes - April 13th, 2022
- Wine-washing the Israeli occupation - Al Jazeera English - April 13th, 2022
- My Zionist Hagadah | Jeffrey Levine | The Blogs - The Times of Israel - April 13th, 2022
- Canary Mission Report Highlights Antisemitism Among Supporters of USC Student Senator Who Tweeted I Want to Kill Every Motherf---ing Zionist - Jewish... - March 29th, 2022
- Yet another 'apartheid' report builds pressure on liberal Zionists to recognize 'lived reality' of Palestinians - Mondoweiss - March 26th, 2022
- Students For Justice In Palestine: J Street Is The Gateway For Jewish Anti-Zionists - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com - March 26th, 2022
- How Owen Jones learned to stop worrying and love Zionism - The Electronic Intifada - March 24th, 2022
- Judaic Studies begins Zionism lecture series with guest ... - March 8th, 2022
- Foreign Fighters and Fellow Travelers: Right-Wing Extremism in Australia and the United States - Lawfare - March 8th, 2022
- The crisis in Ukraine exposes the hypocrisy of Israel and its Zionist allies - Middle East Monitor - February 26th, 2022
- Iran: Believers To Begin Prison Sentences For spreading ... - February 24th, 2022
- New Historians - Wikipedia - February 24th, 2022
- 'We Can't Shut Off One of Our Identities': Jewish SUNY Students Decry 'Exclusion' From Sexual Assault Awareness Group Over Zionism - Algemeiner - February 24th, 2022
- Inside the Unraveling of American Zionism - The New York Times - February 11th, 2022
- How Judaism and Zionism Helped Me Find Myself - The Times of Israel - February 11th, 2022
- A view from the ground in Ukraine | Paul Anticoni | The Blogs - Jewish News - February 11th, 2022
- 'I am exhausted by Israel' hear Sylvain Cypel on the risk to Jews of supporting the 'thug nation' - Mondoweiss - February 11th, 2022
- Opinion: Dont be fooled. Zionism is an Indigenous rights movement and being anti-Zionist is antisemitic. - The San Diego Union-Tribune - December 14th, 2021
- 'Toxic atmosphere of hatred.' USC faculty outraged over response to student's tweets - Los Angeles Times - December 14th, 2021
- Product of Zionism is 'Apartheid, plain and simple', says Israeli publisher - Middle East Monitor - December 14th, 2021
- Can a new word 'Zionophobia' clarify the debate over Israel? J. - The Jewish News of Northern California - December 14th, 2021
- When battling 'progressive madness' is more important than saving lives - Haaretz - December 14th, 2021
Comments