The Urantia Book

71. Development of the State

8. The Character of Statehood

^71.8.1 The only sacred feature of any human government is the division of statehood into the three domains of executive, legislative, and judicial functions. The universe is administered in accordance with such a plan of segregation of functions and authority. Aside from this divine concept of effective social regulation or civil government, it matters little what form of state a people may elect to have provided the citizenry is ever progressing toward the goal of augmented self-control and increased social service. The intellectual keenness, economic wisdom, social cleverness, and moral stamina of a people are all faithfully reflected in statehood.

^71.8.2 The evolution of statehood entails progress from level to level, as follows:

^71.8.3 1. The creation of a threefold government of executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

^71.8.4 2. The freedom of social, political, and religious activities.

^71.8.5 3. The abolition of all forms of slavery and human bondage.

^71.8.6 4. The ability of the citizenry to control the levying of taxes.

^71.8.7 5. The establishment of universal education - learning extended from the cradle to the grave.

^71.8.8 6. The proper adjustment between local and national governments.

^71.8.9 7. The fostering of science and the conquest of disease.

^71.8.10 8. The due recognition of sex equality and the co-ordinated functioning of men and women in the home, school, and church, with specialized service of women in industry and government.

^71.8.11 9. The elimination of toiling slavery by machine invention and the subsequent mastery of the machine age.

^71.8.12 10. The conquest of dialects - the triumph of a universal language.

^71.8.13 11. The ending of war - international adjudication of national and racial differences by continental courts of nations presided over by a supreme planetary tribunal automatically recruited from the periodically retiring heads of the continental courts. The continental courts are authoritative; the world court is advisory - moral.

^71.8.14 12. The world-wide vogue of the pursuit of wisdom - the exaltation of philosophy. The evolution of a world religion, which will presage the entrance of the planet upon the earlier phases of settlement in light and life.

^71.8.15 These are the prerequisites of progressive government and the earmarks of ideal statehood. Urantia is far from the realization of these exalted ideals, but the civilized races have made a beginning - mankind is on the march toward higher evolutionary destinies.

^71.8.16 [Sponsored by a Melchizedek of Nebadon.]