More than perhaps any other religion, the Baha’is are a people with a
mission. It is their firm belief that the Baha’i Faith will come to dominate
the world, and through such institutions as the Universal House of Justice they
will bring peace and justice to the world under the guidance of the Lord God.
Although only possessing at best 7 ½ million adherents today, these
adherents are spread out to countries across the globe (aside from a heavy
concentration in India).
It is the purposeful mission of the Baha’i Faith to attempt to make their
influence known in all parts of the world, even if their numbers are not yet as
high as they one day will be.
The Baha’i International Community also has close dealings with the United
Nations. Representatives of the Baha’i Faith have worked with the UN since the
beginning of that institution in 1945; they were present at the founding in San
Francisco.
Today the Baha’i International Community has official representatives in the
United Nations, and even has consultative status on the UN Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) as well as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Although they play consulting roles in these organizations, they again must
stay out of any of the politics of the United Nations.
Where the future of the Baha’i Faith is going no one can know. According to
themselves they are only going to grow bigger and stronger until eventually all
of humanity has seen the light of Baha’u’llah. However, it is a religion which
seems to be stagnating, with few new adherents entering the faith, and many
people often leaving. Either way the Baha’i Faith will continue to make itself
known in little ways, and play a role in the shaping of the international
community.