Episode:Civilization—Human Government (Part 4)
Every human institution had a beginning, and civil government is a product of progressive evolution just as much as are marriage, industry, and religion. The successive orders of human government gradually developed and have come and gone right on down to the current forms of social and civil regulation.
Keywords: Urantia, Elders, Chiefs, Kings, Prime Ministers
Summary by Kermit
Commentary on Review
We picked up on the discussion from the previous week about language and how even when the true meaning of a word is correctly given in a dictionary e.g. visionary, it is all too frequently used to mean something quite different.
70:5. The Beginnings of Government
We noted that throughout this arc on civilization the authors emphasize the gradual forward movement of human institutions that is characteristic of progressive evolution. We further made mention of the universality of the process of evolution. Biological evolution is widely accepted, although it is sad to record that there are many so-called educated individuals today who refuse to recognize the evidence therefor. Even so the universality of evolution across the manifold aspects of the finite domain is still not widely recognized. The threefold nature of reality (matter, mind, and spirit) and its relationship with personality can be more precisely described as being evolved by the God of Evolution. As mentioned this applies to such human institutions of marriage, industry, and religion. Evolution begins with the whole of reality and penetrates within to the parts. The evolution of the whole is ever and inexorably forward, regardless of appearances. Observations of the parts may suggest retrogression or stagnation, but in terms of the whole, we can trust the forward progress of the evolutionary process. This process has a definitive completion point. The individual, through the exercise of free will determines whether he will be part of the result or not. For nearly two thousand years a person’s ability to engage the whole and discriminate among the parts has been mightily quickened by the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth (SoT—the spirit of the whole). However, in order for the SoT to so function in the individual, reflective cosmic thinking enabled by the three cosmic intuitions must first be cultivated. The lack of recognition of the whole and the false exaltation of various parts to the status of the whole is evidenced by the proliferation of the many –isms today, each touted as the remedy for what ails our world and its people.
Discussion about evolution involves the idea of survival of the fittest. Concerning the evolution of society, culture, and civilization “social Darwinism” is a term looked upon most negatively today, yet we see it played out in man’s early history. It’s important to remember while civilization must be chosen humans aren’t the masters of this evolutionary process.
Early government first appears in the organization of the clan. The council of the elders was the first real governmental body. Even barbaric humans had some appreciation for the wisdom and experience of their fellows. Within this council is found the potential for all governmental function: executive, legislative, and judicial, a pattern from on high. This triune form of governmental organization is part of what makes the United States of America’s appearance on the world stage noteworthy.
The advantage of groups with strong executives over those groups relying on committee governance was clearly illustrated in the struggle of war. We noticed an emphasis by the revelators on the red man in this narrative of early human government. With their favoritism for the religious impulse (6th adjutant) it is not unusual to find them leading the way in evolutionary progress.
The revelation furnishes further examples of ways in which the executive branch of government gradually came into existence with the clan and tribal councils continuing on in an advisory capacity, becoming the forerunners of the later appearing legislative and judicial branches. Interesting to note that all these early forms primitive government are extant in Africa, today.
70:6. Monarchial Government
Only with the arrival of an executive with full executive authority did effective state rule become established. For government to be effective power had to reside in a personality not an idea. Hereditary succession avoided the anarchy intervening between the death of one ruler and the election of a successor. Later the divine right of kings gave a supernatural aura to royal blood, which was thought to extend back to the times of the Prince’s staff.
We commented on the evolutional ministries of the dispensational personalities. The Princes staff as well as the Adamic administration presented their enlarged practices and concepts in harmony with the conditions present at the time of their ministry. At least this was true prior to the rebellion and the default.
It is always to be remembered in reading and reflecting on the revelation that these historical matters of fact and information are to be used as windows into the truth and as such are ever relevant.
