Why We Need a Spiritual Civilization

Today humanity’s greatest need is the establishment of a spiritual civilization. But what does this mean — what qualities would a spiritual civilization possess, and how on Earth do we build one? 

The idea of a spiritual civilization has been around for millennia. The Bible refers to it as “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Luke 7:21 promises that “ … for the kingdom of God is within you,” and Galatians, 5:22-23 says “… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” 

Peace, love, kindness, justice for all — sounds like a wonderful place, doesn’t it?

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When we consider a spiritual civilization, then, it represents a dynamic culture characterized and animated by these fruits of the spirit that emanate from the “kingdom of God within” us; where the spirit of a Divine framework of life becomes ever manifest and these fruits of the spirit define our beings and our actions. This manifest light constitutes spiritual civilization. Isn’t this society’s greatest need in its current condition of distress — or is it just a pipe dream, a lovely mirage with no real prospects in the actual world?

The Material World and the Spiritual World

Since we live in a material world, how do we understand the relationship between the material and the spiritual? 

As in all things, we look to the word of God for inspiration and guidance. Matthew, 4:4 says, “… man cannot live on bread alone; he lives on every Word that God utters.” Then in Matthew 6:19:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where it grows rusty, and moth eaten and thieves break in and steal it. Store up treasures in heaven, where there is no moth and no rust to spoil it, and no thieves to break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also. 

Again, in Matthew 6:24: “No servant can be the slave of two masters … you cannot serve God and Mammon.” These passages confirm that two, dual realities exist in our lives: the material and the spiritual. 

Clearly, the value of the spiritual rises far above the value of the material. 

The material must be a servant of the spiritual — our ephemeral, temporary material possessions have no value by comparison, and to pursue them to the exclusion of the spiritual ultimately results in profound loss. 

Since this is so plainly stated throughout all spiritual scripture, why do we persist in such a frenzied pursuit of material things? Why this unchecked consumerism and materialism that is destroying our planet and its very capacity of sustaining life itself? Is it because we’ve neglected, ignored, and turned away from the power of God’s Holy Spirit embedded in His guidance? Are our hearts remote from, and our ears deaf to, the divine summons?

The Baha’i writings answer those questions, saying that for humanity: 

… two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power and material civilization; the other is spiritual power and divine civilization. With one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. No matter how much material civilization advances, it cannot attain to perfection except through the uplift of spiritual civilization.

In his writings, Baha’u’llah, the prophet and founder of the Baha’i Faith, warned all humankind that: 

The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation, bring great evil upon men. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing. If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of moderation. 

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Baha’is firmly believe that our guide to what constitutes moderation and righteousness is defined by this new call from Baha’u’llah — to justice, charity, kindness, generosity, and unfailing goodness to others. The global Baha’i community has already begun to build a unified world civilization, free from prejudice, racial and national divisions, and violent conflict — and everyone is welcome.

If the kingdom of God is within us, it must be expressed. Through the expression of its “fruits,” through our being and action, we can construct the necessary framework for a just, secure, unified and peaceful planet — one we can confidently call a spiritual civilization.