The majority of religious America worships in groups. The faithful explore their shared beliefs through community and discussion. College clubs offer a forum for students to discuss and learn about different religions with peers. These opportunities go beyond the Judeo-Christian mainstream with organizations like the Baha’i Club.
The Baha’i Club has been in existence since the 1970s, club advisor and education professor Bonnie Springer said.
“It was started by a small group of students who were members of the Baha’i faith and their friends,” Springer said.
Bahá’u’lláh founded the Baha’i faith around 1859 in Iran, making it the world’s newest independent faith. Followers believe that Bahá’u’lláh is the Promised One of all Ages.
Springer said that the club tries to get more people involved and discover the faith.
The club’s purpose is to “further the tenets of the Baha’i faith, to invite those interested to investigate the faith for themselves, to promote the unity of mankind and to promote love, unity and fellowship on this campus,” according to their constitution.
The club is constantly active in obtaining a deeper spiritual understanding, said Springer.
“Club activities involve weekly meetings on Wednesdays for group study and discussion on spiritual themes such as prayer, life and death and understanding the word of God,” Springer said.
 They also work with other campus clubs and organizations for events and activities that promote diversity on campus, in the hopes that the College is strung together as a unit, without any prejudice. Bahá’u’lláh detested any type of prejudice and one of his main goals was to eliminate the issue entirely, Springer said.
Baha’is believe that all of humanity is a family, everyone is equal regardless of gender, prejudice is unjust, truth is simple, religion and science go together, any economic issue is due to a spiritual conflict, the unity of family is of utmost importance, there is one God that religions come from, and that world peace is a necessity.
Baha’is believe there is one God who vicariously communicated via messengers such as Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus and Mohammad, Springer said. Though the messengers are relative to different faiths, they all wanted to give spiritual and moral rise to the world.
Unity is one of the major forces driving the Bahá’í faith.
 “The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens,” according to Bahá’u’lláh.
 Followers feel that the world should come together in order to discover the potential oneness that could be created if the world acted as a unit.
Since the religion is very open, anyone interested in the faith can join the club.
“Baha’is respect the religious beliefs of the followers of all religions and are encouraged by Baha’u’llah to consort with all religions in a spirit of fellowship,” Springer said.
Springer said that the number one aspect of the religion is to unite all races and peoples in one universal cause, one common faith.
The club meets Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on the second floor of the Stern Center. For more information contact Bonnie Springer at springerb@cofc.edu.