In an article published in National Geographic on September 19, Candida Moss explores the question of whether the Garden of Eden really existed, and naturally, most modern-day archeologists believe the entire biblical story of creation is simply a myth with no grounding in actual history. The Urantia Corps for Spiritual Progress (UCSP) is taking this opportunity to point out that, as part of the Urantia Book’s mission to fill in the gaps of our knowledge of our past, it absolutely confirms the existence of the Garden of Eden and gives great detail as to its original whereabouts—”a long narrow peninsula—almost an island—projecting westward from the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.”
“The coast line of this land mass was considerably elevated, and the neck connecting with the mainland was only twenty-seven miles wide at the narrowest point. The great river that watered the Garden came down from the higher lands of the peninsula and flowed east through the peninsular neck to the mainland and thence across the lowlands of Mesopotamia to the sea beyond. It was fed by four tributaries which took origin in the coastal hills of the Edenic peninsula, and these are the “four heads” of the river which “went out of Eden,” and which later became confused with the branches of the rivers surrounding the second garden.” (73:3.4 (823.4))
“After the first garden was vacated by Adam, it was occupied variously by the Nodites, Cutites, and the Suntites. It later became the dwelling place of the northern Nodites who opposed co-operation with the Adamites. The peninsula had been overrun by these lower-grade Nodites for almost four thousand years after Adam left the Garden when, in connection with the violent activity of the surrounding volcanoes and the submergence of the Sicilian land bridge to Africa, the eastern floor of the Mediterranean Sea sank, carrying down beneath the waters the whole of the Edenic peninsula. Concomitant with this vast submergence the coast line of the eastern Mediterranean was greatly elevated. And this was the end of the most beautiful natural creation that Urantia has ever harbored. The sinking was not sudden, several hundred years being required completely to submerge the entire peninsula.” (73:7.1 (826.6))
“In the last few months, a find which seems to show architectural modification on a ridge resting on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea has been found which may well be the original Garden of Eden,” said UCSP founder, Rebecca Bynum. “The Latakia Ridge certainly shows some anomalies which warrant further investigation:”
- Razor-flat rectangular platform with sharp edges, highly inconsistent with natural uplift or erosion.
- Elevated meandering channel crossing the summit, resembling an aqueduct or ridge-cut fluvial system.
- Encircling moat-like depression, following the platform’s outer boundaries.
- Perimeter berm or collapse margin, possibly structural.
- Long straight-line ridges and trenches, extending with minimal curvature.
- Multiple 90° intersections, including perpendicular canals and summit edges.
- Cardinal alignment, with major features running N–S and E–W.
- Perpendicular intersecting canal of consistent width and depth.
- Nearby dome-like uplifts, suggestive of buried foundations or ring structures.
- Terraced slopes, potentially indicating former shorelines or platform leveling.
- Geological isolation, with differing subsurface composition from the surrounding seabed.
- Location within a tectonic convergence zone, adding complexity to formation hypotheses.
“Contrary to the hopes of many, even if archeological investigation were to discover artifacts of the right time period (35,000 B.C.), this would still not ‘prove’ that this was the Garden,” continued Bynum. “Nor would it ‘prove’ the truth of the Urantia Book as a whole, but it would add another amazing instance of the incredible detail contained in the Urantia Book (pub. 1955) being prescient about scientific facts not known at the time of publication.”
The Urantia Book explains how our world has received several instances of divine assistance, and that the mission of Adam and Eve were one of those which went awry, but nonetheless, they left an undeniable mark upon humanity which allowed for the blossoming of civilization.
In 2005, Dr. Patrick Evans, et al, published their discovery of a genetic mutation, Microcephalin (MCPH1), which occurred approximately 37,000 years ago, which influences the structure and size of the brain. This mutation spread rapidly and is now found among some seventy percent of the global population. This tracks well with the history presented in the Urantia Book.
As author JJ Johnson writes: “The cosmic reality of Adam and Eve’s mission highlights humanity’s potential as an ongoing project, an unrevealed destiny, a promise that humanity may yet fulfill. This requires an open-minded integration of scientific insights about human origins, biology, and potential with spiritual revelations about purpose and destiny. Taking off the blinders means setting aside rigid interpretations and allowing science and religion to complement each other—each offering unique insights into the unified truth of human existence and cosmic destiny.”[1]
[1] JJ Johnson, Exploring the Urantia Revelation: Bridging Science and Spirit with the Truth of Reality, Skyhorse, 2025, p. 22.
Last modified: September 23, 2025
