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Georgia Guidestones Historic Mystery


albionnights

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Although the Georgia Guidestones have not been around very long it is still a great mystery that haunts the Elbert County countryside. Erected March 22, 1980 the stones are situated on the highest point in the county and align with various celestial bodies. The four stones around the centre pillar are inscribed with ten commandments in eight different languages, while the capstone is inscribed with one of four ancient languages on each side, reading “Let these be guidestones to an age of reason.”

The mystery begins with a man known as R.C. Christian, who commissioned Elberton Granite Co. to construct the monument. Only two men are thought to have ever seen R.C. Christian face-to-face: Joe Fendley, the president of Elberton Granite (now deceased) and Wyatt Martin, President of the Granite City Bank. Although the latter was taken into R.C. Christian’s confidence, he was sworn to secrecy, and is considered the only living person who knows the secrets of the Guidestones.

By all accounts, R.C. Christian was an educated man of means, who belonged to a small organization, which wished to remain anonymous. The group in question had apparently been planning the construction of this monument for twenty years. During his brief time in Elberton, Christian was upfront about his need of anonymity and did everything he could to keep his identity a secret. And once everything for the Guidestones was in order, he left Elbert County never to return.

Although, Martin stayed in touch with Christian over the next twenty years, he never did learn the name of the mysterious group Christian belonged to, and whatever secrets he did obtain, he has faithfully kept his promise to never reveal. R.C. Christian is now presumed dead and when Martin himself passes on, the Georgia Guidestones may very well remain a mystery for all time.

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I live in GA and plan to try and see them this fall. Interesting mystery

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They are very mysterious, so intriguing and scary at the same time.

What are they for? Who are they for?

It seems like a prank, but the price tag seems too extreme.

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Wonder why it was erected 2 days after the spring equinox.

While some of the ideas are admirable the stones seem clearly alarmist in nature.

Reproduction should be an individual choice. One that is preferably informed and made responsibly.

Setting a number and deciding who can and cannot reproduce seems like eugenics in nature and is not the true message of those who want one world.

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Really not that strange and really not that mysterious. Brian Dunning covered them on an episode of Skeptoid in 2010. You can listen to the podcast or read the transcript here:

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4198

His conclusion? The Guidestones are just a really cool and clever advertising gimmick.

The facts of the Guidestones' history and construction is publicly available in great detail, in a 50-page book published by the Elberton Granite Finishing Company, called The Georgia Guidestones. It includes biographies of many of the principal workers and characters in the story, and dozens of photographs of the monument and its construction process. Anything you want to know about the Guidestones can be found in this book. Is the publication of this book evidence that Fendley was behind the whole thing? Not really, because there is another explanation that does not require such an assumption. The Guidestones were the most expensive project Fendley ever did, and by far the most famous. As such, they were the best possible advertisement for his company. What business would not leverage such a marketing opportunity? So, again, Fendley's promotion of the Guidestones were merely an inevitability of the circumstance.

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The Guidestones were the most expensive project Fendley ever did, and by far the most famous. As such, they were the best possible advertisement for his company.

Indeed, Fendley's company built the stones and why wouldn't he use that to his advantage? But a company would never build something that expensive just to advertise. Besides this explanation doesn't address the identity of R.C. Christian and the group he claimed to represent.

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Could R.C. Christian just be a company mascot?

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I live in GA and plan to try and see them this fall. Interesting mystery

get some close detail pics ... ?

thanks ... :yes:

~

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Indeed, Fendley's company built the stones and why wouldn't he use that to his advantage? But a company would never build something that expensive just to advertise. Besides this explanation doesn't address the identity of R.C. Christian and the group he claimed to represent.

Why not? Companies spend tens of millions to put their names on sports stadiums "just to advertise". Besides, if you own a granite company and have all of the equipment and labor available to you, it's not that expensive of a project.

As for R.C. Christian, did he even exist?

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Why not? Companies spend tens of millions to put their names on sports stadiums "just to advertise". Besides, if you own a granite company and have all of the equipment and labor available to you, it's not that expensive of a project.

As for R.C. Christian, did he even exist?

Fendley seems to think he existed. I refer you to this article published in Wired a few years ago.

Also, if it was just for advertisement purposes, why would the company choose to inscribe those specific words and languages. Even if you own a granite company it would still be a very labour intensive project, you'd still have to pay your workers, equipment maintenance, probably an architect, a translator, an astronomer, and so on. Plus what do all billboard ads have in common? They have the company's name and logo, which the Guidestones does not.

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The guidestones might not have the name of the company, but the tablet that is set with the guidestones does.

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Fendley seems to think he existed. I refer you to this article published in Wired a few years ago.

Also, if it was just for advertisement purposes, why would the company choose to inscribe those specific words and languages. Even if you own a granite company it would still be a very labour intensive project, you'd still have to pay your workers, equipment maintenance, probably an architect, a translator, an astronomer, and so on. Plus what do all billboard ads have in common? They have the company's name and logo, which the Guidestones does not.

Well of course he does. He invented him.

Why would they do it? Would there be television shows, magazine interviews, books, and us talking about a granite company in Georgia if it weren't for these stones?

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Guidestones for an age of reason?

That does not really apply to us does it?

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I've been interested in this story for a while. The problem I have with it being an advertising scam by the granite company is the banker - I couldn't see him knowingly being a part of a lie or a hoax. It could only be bad for him or his bank. Otherwise, it makes a great deal of sense.

From Wikipedia I was able to get the lat/long and link to a map, then brought up another browser window for the Elbert County Tax Assessor office. The parcel of land was purchased for $5000 on 10/1/79 (127/0261 book & page) and the parcel is now assessed for $21,479. However, this value is land only. Makes me wonder about the value of the huge granite markers on the land. I'm curious if there is a separate personal property account for them and who might be paying the taxes on them. Owner's name for the real estate is listed as Elbert County BOC (Board of Commissioners?). The Clerk of Court for Elbert County doesn't have online records, so I wasn't able to look up the actual deed for the property. Anyway, if anyone is in the area, it's something to look into. Government owned property generally needs to be approved for purchase by county board or some such committee and they answer to the local taxpayers. Might be a bit more information in the minutes of the meetings.

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  • 1 year later...

I just heard about these stones today. So what exactly the mystery? How they got there (erected) seeing as they weighed 237,000 pounds.. or the writtings? I reead about it but failing to see the mystery. I would like to know more about it. Ill keep reading on google. thanks guys!

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I just heard about these stones today. So what exactly the mystery? How they got there (erected) seeing as they weighed 237,000 pounds.. or the writtings? I reead about it but failing to see the mystery. I would like to know more about it. Ill keep reading on google. thanks guys!

No real mystery at all. It's a matter of public record on how they were constructed, and the company that did it. The only thing not up for public record is the name of the man who commissioned the work, simply choosing to go by "Mr. Christian", and what the motivation for him (and others he claimed to work with) to commission an monument out in the middle of some field.. Even then his real name is known by a few, they just choose not to tell it out of sincerity.

Then again, it doesn't take much to mystify New Age types.

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Am I the only one that finds it ironic or perhaps too coincidental that the gentlemans name is RC "Christian" and that the ten commandments are inscribed on the guidestones in several different languages?

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Am I the only one that finds it ironic or perhaps too coincidental that the gentlemans name is RC "Christian" and that the ten commandments are inscribed on the guidestones in several different languages?

They aren't THE Ten Commandments. In fact the intention was to make them as non demographic as possible:

  • 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 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.

Pretty much any set or rules will end up looking like the Ten Commandments to someone in western civilization do to the prominence of Judeo/Christian faiths.

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They aren't THE Ten Commandments. In fact the intention was to make them as non demographic as possible:

  • 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 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.

Pretty much any set or rules will end up looking like the Ten Commandments to someone in western civilization do to the prominence of Judeo/Christian faiths.

Ahh, I was unable to open the link due to restricitions at my workplace, thanks for the clarification DecoNoir! Now it doesn't seem very ironic shucks. :no:

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Ahh, I was unable to open the link due to restricitions at my workplace, thanks for the clarification DecoNoir! Now it doesn't seem very ironic shucks. :no:

In that case, you might also be interested in the fact that the "Commandments" are written in English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian

Another inscription reads "Let these be guidestones to an age of reason." This is written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, Classical Greek, Sanskrit, and Babylonian cuniform.

Sorry, its just roadside curiosities and American urban legends are a topic of interest for me, and I'm always happy to share my knowledge. I first learned of these about 5 or 6 years ago when I first took interest in the subject.

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That is very interesting, thanks for the education on the subject. Makes the guidestones themselves more interesting to say the least.

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