Source: The Wichita Eagle
http://www.kansas.com/194/story/488214.html
Inside the Baha'i Center on North Amidon, a Baha'i Scripture is painted on a wall inside a room where followers gather each week.
"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."
It's that light -- the light of unity -- that Baha'is stress when they speak about their religion.
Founded in 19th-century Persia by Baha'u'llah -- whom Baha'is believe is the most recent of God's messengers -- the religion teaches that followers of all religions have the same God and that humanity is a single race.
The Baha'i message of unity is what drives its followers to try to eradicate racial and economic discrimination, promote equality for women and bring about peaceful resolutions to world conflicts.
Nationwide, the religion has grown in recent years to 162,000, according to the national office.
In the Wichita area, there are about 200 Baha'is, said local spokeswoman Tracy Freeman. And the number is growing.
"People really find truth in what they hear about the Baha'i faith," she said. "They have been seeking, or they have been looking for a spiritual truth to follow, and they find it in the faith."