American Indians, Jewish Leaders, and Giant Sloths

Some places you visit, you wonder at the history of the land, and how it came to be that way. This is especially true at Joshua Tree National Park in California, USA. 

The rocks seem to be jumbled all together, with larger ones atop smaller ones. It's as if God played Jenga with boulders. Maybe he did. Or maybe these strange formations came about through the process of erosion. Imagine the wind and the rain eating away at the land over millions of years. 

Wait! That can't be true. The Earth is only four thousand years old, right? So it's got to be God making artistic creations with rocks. Yep. That's the explanation.

We know all good things come from God. But how many of us knew Jenga was 4,000 years old?

The scientists will tell you that giant sloths roamed this land ten thousand years ago or more. They ate the needles, fronds, and seeds of the Joshua trees. When they roamed around, they dropped their little droppings all over, which helped the propagation of the trees. 

Personally, I think the idea of the giant sloths are cool, even if animals are extinct. But obviously, the so-called giant sloth skeletons we see in museums are little more than fanciful creations. The animals are no more than a myth created by scientists. Remember, the Bible says our world is only 4,000 years old. 

Most likely the Joshua trees were always there since the creation of the world. Either that, or the American Indians who lived here hundreds of years ago planted the trees. After all, they had a practical use for them. They used the fronds and needles to weave baskets and other household items. 

American Indians versus giant sloths. I mean, really: what are you going to believe in?

I'm not a Mormon, so I may be wrong about this, but my understanding is they see themselves as one of the lost Jewish tribes. Or the inheritors of the promises God made to Abraham, all those years ago. Either way, when Mormon pioneers rolled across this land in their covered wagons hundreds of years ago, they saw these strange trees raising their arms to heaven. The sight made them think of Joshua, the ancient Jewish leader, who unlike Moses, actually led his people into the Promised Land. 

Personally, I'm not sure I'd want to settle here, and try to make a go at life in the desert. It hardly seems to be flowing with milk and honey. But everyone is different, and gets inspired by different things. For example, some people get inspired by these jumbled-up piles of boulders and want to climb them. Some people see these weird trees and imagine Biblical figures, or mythical giant sloths. 

I'm not completely sure what I believe in these days. Nor am I always certain what inspires me. But I know one thing. There's no way I'm sitting down at a picnic bench and eating my lunch with a whacking great boulder hanging over my head. That, my friends, is the absolute, unquestionable truth.

Dragon Dave