A quick answer to the above question is this:  Without a morality predicated on spiritual realities, a lasting society can no more be maintained than could the solar system without gravity.

Having made that statement, I still must address the distinction between religion and organized religion.

True religion is living faith; it references God and the attainment of eternal realities. Religion, therefore is the evolving personal experience of knowing and finding God with the goal to become Godlike. This experience of transformation begins with the first flicker of faith and progresses on Earth as we expand our knowledge of God and of our relation to God and the universe.   Evolution continues after death as we ascend through the multilevel universes of time and space to eternity, where we attain perfect spirit status.

Society can reach a fair level of moral refinement without growth in the concept of God, but morality without progress in spiritual meanings fails to reveal ultimate goodness, and fails to provide for the survival of even its own basic moral values. In a nonreligious society the quality of selflessness in moral behavior does not flourish, stunting the full expression of goodness that fosters the establishment of the brotherhood of man - peace among all people.

What does it take for society to flourish?  It takes individuals actively engaged in self-development because of their growing love and appreciation of God as Father. When we grow in our knowledge and understanding of God and cultivate our connection to our Indwelling Spirit, the sense of duty leaps up to the affectionate level of intimate family morality - the parent-child relationship - fostering the capacity to live unselfishly.  True religion “. . . is the consciousness of being a member of the family of believers which leads inevitably to the practice of the precepts of the family conduct, the service of one’s brothers and sisters in the effort to enhance and enlarge the brotherhood.”

What is the most effective resource for expanding our knowledge of spiritual realities?  Progressive revelation.  When progressive revelation is recognized and assimilated, social progress is fostered as individuals increasingly identify with God as Father and each other as brother and sister.  Revelation, specifically planetary revelation, has been operative in our world for over 500,000 years (refer to Heaven Is Not the Last Stop, Chapter 2).  With the passage of time these revelations commingled with the beliefs and practices of the era, helping religion evolve.  New branches of religious thought are fresh expressions of old beliefs with new adaptations and adjustments, all laced with elements of revealed truth. All religious teachings include complementary perspectives that can be integrated into other faiths. 

The challenge is to recognize how each belief system complements the others.  The reformation of philosophy and clarification of religion can now be significantly advanced because of the existence of the fifth planetary revelation published in 1955 as The Urantia Book. Its reconciliation with a wide spectrum of human knowledge is presented in my book Heaven Is Not the Last Stop.  It is the progression of concepts found in reconciled revelation that will lead religious leaders to discover new and higher meanings in the concept of God and the universe.  As a result, dogmas will lose their rigidity and evolve; churches and religious institutions will become less involved in secular causes and promote religious ones such as helping congregations develop the intellectual, moral, and spiritual capacities that will enable them to better serve their fellow beings.  With this evolvement there will be a growing unity in the comprehension of God and the universe; what will distinguish one religious organization from another will be their cultural traditions and the diverse ways of expressing their shared understanding of God.