Civilization

Society is concerned with self-perpetuation, self-maintenance, and self-gratification, but human self-realization is worthy of becoming the immediate goal of many cultural groups. 68:2.3

Biologic evolution and cultural civilization are not necessarily correlated. But in lengthy periods of history evolution and culture become related as cause and effect. 81:5.1

Jesus avoided all entanglements with the economic structure and the political commitments of his day. 120:3.4

the civilization of Urantia is the joint product of the Urantia mortals and the Urantia midwayers, and this is true despite the present differential between the two levels of culture 77:9.8

We cannot judge religion by the status of its accompanying civilization; we had better estimate the real nature of a civilization by the purity and nobility of its religion. 102:8.2

In the Urantia Book

Dangers of civilization

* civilization feels the threat of breakdown during the time of transition 81:6.40-41
* without superhuman help, civilization breaks down upon reaching certain limits 68:3.4
* civilization retrogresses when genius declines 195:1.9
* Public opinion has always delayed society; nevertheless, it is valuable, for it does preserve civilization. 71:2.7
* force only temporarily advances civilization 71:2.7
* inferior minds spurn highest civilization 50:6.4
* Any civilization is in jeopardy when three quarters of its youth enter materialistic professions. 111:4.3-4
* civilization must keep pace with scientific developments 81:6.39
* The church, because of overmuch false sentiment has perpetuated racially degenerate stocks which have tremendously retarded the progress of civilization. 99:3.5
* reasons for decline of Roman Empire were: lack of participation in government, overmuch paternalism, overtaxation, unbalanced trade with the Levant, amusement madness, Roman standardization, the degradation of woman, slavery and race decadence, physical plagues, and an institutionalized church. 195:3.8-9
* civilization contain within itself the seeds of retrogression when culture advances overfast, when material achievement outruns the evolution of worship-wisdom. Such human societies will recede from high but premature levels of attainment. 78:2.3-4 118:8.6
* sudden transformations are unhelpful in civilization 66:6.3-7
* too complicated or too luxurious standards of living are suicidal 68:6.7
* unbridled self-gratification unfailingly destroys 68:2.11
* when society is overstressed by the complications of society’s advancement, there is a reversion to primitive violence 70:1.1
* Mechanical inventions that modify today civilization require social changes that will not settle down complacently for a millennium (99:1.1,3)

Dependencies of civilization (68:2) (71:4.2-14) (81:6)

It is the people who make a civilization; civilization does not make the people. 76:6.4
The advances of true civilization are all born in the inner world of mankind. 111:4.3
cultural civilization can not flourish without an adequate background of antecedent racial progression 81:5.1
Culture is never developed under conditions of poverty; leisure is essential to the progress of civilization. 81:6.6-7
climate always has been a decisive factor in civilization 78:8.11 80:1.4 80:2.1 80:3.8 81:1.1-3 81:6.3-4 | drought
Social inheritance enables man to stand on the shoulders of all who have preceded him, and who have contributed aught to the sum of culture and knowledge. 79:8.12 (81:6.23,25,44) 160:2.3
Evolutionary religion has been man’s most expensive but incomparably effective institution. Religion fostered civilization and provided societal continuity 92:3.6-9
War has served many valuable purposes in the past, it has been an indispensable scaffolding in the building of civilization, but it is rapidly becoming culturally bankrupt — incapable of producing dividends of social gain in any way commensurate with the terrible losses attendant upon its invocation. 70:2.9
The progressive program of an expanding civilization embraces:
# the liberty of the individual 71:4.3
# the effective functioning of the family 71:4.4 79:8.9 84:0.2 84:7.1
# Food, security, pleasure, and leisure; military defense 50:5.7 70:9.4 71:4.5
# prevention of disease 71:4.6
# the compulsory education, education of younger generation, which is the only safe method of accelerating civilization 70:9.9 71:2.7 71:4.7 81:6.24
# compulsory employment 71:4.8
# leisure to think and plan 50:5.7 71:4.9 78:2.4 (81:2.2,14) 81:6.6
# care of the unfortunate 71:4.10
# Biologic renovation of the racial stocks—the selective elimination of inferior human strains; educational training; religious quickening 70:8.14-18 71:4.11 79:2.6-8 | genetics
# promotion of art and scientific knowledge 71:4.12 81:6.8-10
# the sagacious correlation of material wealth, intellectual greatness, moral worth, social cleverness, and cosmic insight (16:9.4,7) 71:4.14 81:6.38
# the true religion; the spiritual idealism; freedom of religion 71:4.14 79:4.9 79:6.10 70:9.12 81:6.27
The greatest twentieth-century influences contributing to the furtherance of civilization:
* the unparalleled improvements in methods of communication 81:6.25 160:2.3
* the marked increase in world travel 81:6.25
The first four great advances in human civilization were: 81:2.3-7
# The taming of fire.
# The domestication of animals.
# The enslavement of captives.
# Private property.
The civilization which is now evolving on Urantia grew out of, and is predicated on, the following factors:
* natural resources 78:2.4 81:6.3-5
* the coordination of specialists, the division of labor and the specialization 81:6.29-33
* Effective and wise leadership: enthusiastic and effective load-pulling spirit 81:6.35-37
* human resources 81:6.11-13
* Effectiveness of language. 81:6.16-19
* leadership. Civilization is never really jeopardized until able leadership begins to vanish. (81:6.14,26-27,39-42)
* spiritual idealism 81:6.26-27
the efforts of planetary helper seraphim has allowed the development of a civilization now evolving which embodies much of their ideals of confidence and trust 39:5
Love is the essence of religion and the wellspring of superior civilization. 16:9.7 102:6.3
Many intelligent and well-meaning men, even in the more enlightened age of these revelations, maintain that modern civilization could not have been built upon the teachings of Jesus. But all such doubters forget that a much better civilization could have been built upon his teachings. The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust. 154:4.6 194:3.12
The Urantia peoples are suffering the consequences of the Caligastia upheaval precipitated world-wide confusion and robbed all subsequent generations of the moral assistance which a well-ordered society would have provided. 34:7.4 102:8.2
A lasting social system without a morality predicated on spiritual realities can no more be maintained than could the solar system without gravity. 39:3.7 195:5.9
Civilization is a racial acquirement; it is not biologically inherent; hence must all children be reared in an environment of culture 68:0.2
Secularism can never bring peace to mankind. Nothing can take the place of God in human society. Secular revolt win many liberties and satisfactions but made the mistake of institute a revolt against God himself 16:9.7 80:7.8 94:6.12 195:8.6
much, very much, in civilization depends on age, the help of the biologic uplifters, and the subsequent missions of the various orders of the divine Sons. 49:5.16
But the security of civilization itself still rests on the growing willingness of one generation to invest in the welfare of the next and future generations. 84:7.27

Development

Culture is never developed under conditions of poverty; leisure is essential to the progress of civilization. 81:6.6
cultural society is no great and beneficent club of inherited privilege; this guild of civilization exacts costly admission fees 81:5.3-5
Society is not a divine institution; it is a phenomenon of progressive evolution 81:6.39
society was born, not of mere association of numbers, but rather as a result of the organization of intelligent co-operators 68:1.4
Race mixture is always advantageous in that it favors versatility of culture and makes for a progressive civilization 79:2.7
organized society had every right to employ force in the execution of its just mandates. 133:1.5 133:4.12 140:8.4
spiritual progress is not dependent upon cultural civilization 65:8.4
commerce and exploration quickly became the most potent influence in the spread of cultural civilization. Other secondary influences were military conquests, colonization, and missionary enterprises52:6.3 (81:3.2,6,7)

Goals

the factors in the preservation of civilization are:
# Conservation of property and wealth. 79:8.11
# Pooling of the experience of more than one generation. 79:8.12
# Efficient education of children in the arts and sciences of the past. 79:8.13
# Development of a strong sense of duty, the enhancement of morality, and the augmentation of ethical sensitivity. 79:8.14
An ideal social order is that in which every man loves his neighbor as he loves himself. 99:2.4
Society should in every way possible foster originality. 70:2.18
The ideal of all social attainment can be realized only in the coming of this divine kingdom. 196:2.11
prime gift of society is security, survival possibilities 68:1.5 70:9.1 81:5.4
refusal to use power selfishly is mark of high civilization 48:7.8
we should not tolerate idleness or poverty. No society has progressed very far when it permits idleness or tolerates poverty. 71:3.8
It is the business and duty of society to provide the child of nature with a fair and peaceful opportunity to pursue self-maintenance 70:9.17
Society thus becomes a co-operative scheme for securing civil freedom through institutions 81:5.5
Only in the higher levels of the superconscious mind we find those higher concepts in association with effective master patterns which will contribute to the building of a better and more enduring civilization. 111:4.5

Primitive society

the four great stages were collection, hunting, pastoral, and agricultural 66:3.2 68:5.2-11
Primitive society was regulated on the theory that the group membership should have an interest in, and some degree of control over, the behavior of each individual. 70:10.4
The chief factor in early civilization was the force exerted by wise social masters 81:6.14
Chinese were first to achieve a racial solidarity—the first to attain a large-scale cultural, social, and political civilization. 79:6.8
For about 35,000 years after the days of Adam, the cradle of civilization was in south-western Asia, extending from the Nile valley eastward and slightly to the north across northern Arabia, through Mesopotamia, and on into Turkestan. 81:1.1
first great advances were fire, animal domestication, slavery, and private property 69:6-9 81:2.7
Urantia civilization was literally forged out between the anvil of necessity and the hammers of fear. 66:5.13
Primitive society was thus founded on the reciprocity of necessity and on the enhanced safety of association. 68:1.3
Primitive society with its four divisions—industrial, regulative, religious, and military—rose through the instrumentality of fire, animals, slaves, and property. 69:6.1
Civilization has become man’s insurance against violent death 68:1.2 68:2.2
Hunger and love drove men together; vanity and ghost fear held them together. (68:2.4,6) 68:3
Planetary Prince’s and Adam’s headquarters intended to advance 51:6.3 51:7 66:3
the excessive multiplication of slaves is what caused the aegean culture to perish (80:7.6,13)
Law is always at first negative and prohibitive; in advancing civilizations it becomes increasingly positive and directive. 70:11.2
second Eden was cradle of civilization for 30,000 years 76:3.8 78:0.1
The influence of Adamic, though in numbers smaller than had been planned, produced an advance in civilization 81:0.2
small middle class appeared in Jesus’ time 121:1.8 121:3.4

Retrogressions en Urantia

Civilization has not always progressed forward. Throughout history there have been several major setbacks:
# after Andón's death, more than 900,000 years ago, his civilization was threatened with extinction and his retrogressing descendants did not recover it again for half a million years 63:5.7 64:1.7 64:2.4 64:4.12
# after Lucifer rebellion, about 200,000 yeras ago, society quickly sank back to its old biologic level 67:5.3
# after death of Onamonalonton, 65,000 years ago, red men continued with internecine wars and never succeed in set a universal peace 64:6.8
# From 2500 to 2000 B.C., in Mesopotamia, with emigration of superior Adamite peoples and the immigration of inferiors 78:8.12
# many other retrogressions in the long forward struggle of Urantia civilization 68:4.7

Modern civilization

Society is becoming more mechanical, more compact, more complex, and more critically interdependent. 99:1.4
Modern society is enduring the strain of one of its most dangerous phases of far-flung interassociation and highly complicated interdependence. 68:2.5
This secularistic human society, notwithstanding its unparalleled materialistic achievement, is slowly disintegrating. 195:8.10
scientific secularism, notwithstanding its unparalleled materialistic achievement, is slowly disintegrating society, and the only cohesive force resisting this disintegration is nationalism, but nationalism is the chief barrier to world peace. 195:8.10
Society is the offspring of age upon age of trial and error 81:6.41
in current civilization lower strata no longer so ignorant or politically helpless 99:1.5
Gradually society asserted its rights and, at the present time, they are: 70:9.2-12
# Assurance of food supply.
# Military defence
# Internal peace preservation
# Sex control
# Property
# Fostering of individual and group competition
# Provision for educating
# Promotion of trade and commerce
# Improvement of labour conditions
# Freedom of religious practices

Future

The attainment of a high cultural civilization demands, first, the ideal type of citizen and, then, ideal and adequate social mechanisms 99:3.4
The progress of civilization is hardly alike on any two planets. Under the benign rule of a Planetary Prince and other leaders an average world will successively pass through the following seven developmental epochs: 50:5-6
# The nutrition epoch
# The security age
# The material-comfort era
# The quest for knowledge and wisdom
# The epoch of philosophy and brotherhood
# The age of spiritual striving
# The era of light and life

Status of civilizations

The status of any civilization may be very accurately determined by the thoroughness and equity of its courts and by the integrity of its judges. 70:11.14
The sum of man’s adjustment to the life demands equals his cultural civilization. 68:5.1
Civilizations are unstable because they are not cosmic; they are not innate in the individuals of the races. 16:9.4-5 68:0.2
The presence of large numbers of unmarried persons in any society indicates the temporary breakdown or the transition of the mores. 83:7.5

Bible parallels

Passages that the paragraphs cited above parallel, quote or reinterpret, from Duane Faw’s Paramony cross-references. Hover a reference to read it.

God is love 70:2.9 — 1 Jn 4:8,16.
Religionist has faith God of love 102:6.3 — 1 Co 13:1-13.
Overcome evil with good 194:3.12 — Ro 12:21.
Mark of Cain 68:1.2 — Gn 4:14-15.
You shall not kill 70:11.2 — Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17.
Self known as it knows 16:9.4 — 1 Co 13:12.
God's spirit lives in us (T/A) 16:9.4 — Job 32:8,18; Is 63:10-11; Ezk 37:14; Mt 10:20; Lk 17:21; Jn 17:21-23; Ro 8:9-11; 1 Co 3:16-17; 1 Co 6:19; 2 Co 6:16; Ga 2:20; 1 Jn 3:24; 1 Jn 4:12-15; Rev 21:3.

Where it appears

Civilization is linked in 24 paragraphs of the text.

49:5.15 52:2.11 64:7.5 70:2.3 70:11.2 71:5.3 78:1.3 78:7.7 79:0.1 79:5.8 79:6.2 81:2.20 81:3.6 81:6.1 82:0.3 85:5.2 91:4.1 92:7.15 94:2.2 94:6.12 95:3.1 101:3.13 101:5.10 160:2.3

Type	Concepts and teachings
Facts indexed	142
Linked in text	24 paragraphs
Bible parallels	7 passages
Linked from	48 articles