American Stonehenge

We’re behind on our reading around here and came across this very interesting piece in Wired Magazine about an erection of engraved monoliths, raised in northeastern Georgia:

Built to survive the apocalypse, the Georgia Guidestones are not merely instructions for the future—the massive granite slabs also function as a clock, calendar, and compass.

. . .the monument is a mystery—nobody knows exactly who commissioned it or why. The only clues to its origin are on a nearby plaque on the ground—which gives the dimensions and explains a series of intricate notches and holes that correspond to the movements of the sun and stars—and the “guides” themselves, directives carved into the rocks. These instructions appear in eight languages ranging from English to Swahili and reflect a peculiar New Age ideology. Some are vaguely eugenic (GUIDE REPRODUCTION WISELY – IMPROVING FITNESS AND DIVERSITY; others prescribe standard-issue hippie mysticism (PRIZE TRUTH – BEAUTY – LOVE – SEEKING HARMONY WITH THE INFINITE).

It’s pretty interesting, so you might enjoy it for a lazy Sunday read. But what struck me were the messages (left in many languages, both modern and ancient) on these stones, which are meant to “guide” humanity in a post-apocalyptic world. The commissioner of the monument -who went by the admittedly fake name of R.C. Christian is unknown, but the instruction sounds familiar:

But many who read what was written on the stones were unsettled. Guide number one was, of course, the real stopper: MAINTAIN HUMANITY UNDER 500,000,000 IN PERPETUAL BALANCE WITH NATURE. There were already 4.5 billion people on the planet, meaning eight out of nine had to go (today it would be closer to 12 out of 13). This instruction was echoed and expanded by tenet number two: GUIDE REPRODUCTION WISELY – IMPROVING FITNESS AND DIVERSITY. It didn’t take a great deal of imagination to draw an analogy to the practices of, among others, the Nazis. Guide number three instructed readers to UNITE HUMANITY WITH A LIVING NEW LANGUAGE. This sent a shiver up the spine of local ministers who knew that the Book of Revelations warned of a common tongue and a one-world government as the accomplishments of the Antichrist. Guide number four—RULE PASSION – FAITH – TRADITION – AND ALL THINGS WITH TEMPERED REASON was similarly threatening to Christians committed to the primacy of faith over all. The last six guides were homiletic by comparison: PROTECT PEOPLE AND NATIONS WITH FAIR LAWS AND JUST COURTS. LET ALL NATIONS RULE INTERNALLY RESOLVING EXTERNAL DISPUTES IN A WORLD COURT. AVOID PETTY LAWS 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.

So, for fun, take your best guess who is responsible for this quasi-new-age-cum-eugenics-master-race erection? I mean, some of it sounds like Al Gore; some like Margaret Sanger; some sounds like lines from HAIR. Remember – this is the 1970’s; a strange man shows up in Georgia, USA, and commissions these standing tablets with what appears to be his (or his organization’s) conception of the store of all human wisdom. Who wuzzee?

But don’t take it too seriously. After chronicling the pagans who met to worship at the stones and the conspiracy-theory Christians who came to protest and warn against them, the article concludes,

For years Martin [the keeper of the secret] thought he might write a book, but now he knows he probably won’t. What he also won’t do is allow me to look through the papers. When I ask whether he’s prepared to take what he knows to his grave, Martin replies that Christian would want him to do just that: “All along, he said that who he was and where he came from had to be kept a secret. He said mysteries work that way. If you want to keep people interested, you can let them know only so much.” The rest is enshrouded in the vast sunny stillness.

And Silliness, too.

Hmmmm…