Our Students Speak Up

When each of our on-line courses ends, the Wilmette Institute asks the students in the course to share comments on and reactions to it. Below three students from Florida, Georgia, and New Zealand tell how the courses affected them: One found herself reconnected to Bahá’u’lláh in a new way; another found her course opening up a profound connection to Islam; a third was able to establish a relationship with the Buddhist community in his area. Here, in their own words, is what the students shared with us:

Pat Cherundolo, from Lakeland, Florida, wrote about the Wilmette Institute’s on-line course Bahá'u'lláh’s Early Mystic Writings:

“As for the course itself—last night at . . . [a Bahá’í meeting] I read one of the translations of the Rashh-i-‘Amá. Poetry isn't my strong suit in English but just reading it was a thrill. I am planning a big presentation for the Birth of Bahá'u'lláh based on this course.

“I can't even begin to tell you what this course means to me. I seem to have found Bahá'u'lláh all over again. This is wonderful. An absolute thrill to be going through these works with a guide. Thank you and the Wilmette Institute for having these courses.”

Georgie Skeaff, from Arrowtown, New Zealand, shared how the course on Islam for Deepening and Dialogue had impacted her life:

“The most important outcome of the course for me is the spiritual relationship I have developed with the Word of the Qur’án and the reality of the person of Muhammad as a Manifestation of God. All of my long Bahá'í life and Bahá'í study I have accepted any quotes from the Qur’an or references to Muhammad by Bahá’u’lláh as Truth. That was accepted simply because the three Central Figures of the Faith spoke the Words. I never ever glanced down to the notations at the bottom of the page or even bothered to look them up and read them in context in the Qur’án, though we had both the Sale and Rodwell translations in the house.

“However, now, after having done this course I have a connection with Muhammad and the Words of the Qur’án that is quite profound and not easy to express in a short space, quite moving emotionally and spiritually. A minute sense of the love Bahá'u'lláh had for Muhammad and His Revelation is now imbedded in my soul and has profoundly changed my meditation on the Writings of the Báb and Baha’u’llah. It is a gift I am so grateful for, even at this late stage in my life. . . . My respect for Muslims has been enhanced by a greater understanding of the Revealed Word of Muhammad. I continue to share the course materials with non-Bahá'ís who, in their ignorance, are having such a struggle these days with Islam. It is amazing to see how their eyes light up when I speak about these studies and a little of what I have learned.  Much more so than when I speak about the Faith. Islam is in the news, and on their lips so it is safe to express an interest. It is a great lead-in, gradually and wisely, to the Words of Bahá'u'lláh. I am ever so grateful for this and rather than giving firesides or talks at this time, I am able to use it quite often in my associations with people.  

“I cannot end this without expressing gratitude to the faculty of the course, their contributions to the Forum, and their responses to questions posed by the students.”

Arthur Murphy, from Decatur, Georgia, found that Buddhism for Deepening and Dialogue deepened his understanding of the religion that he had studied in a university course and opened doors for connecting with the Buddhists in his area:

“This course has provided an effective framework for enabling students to combine content of  Internet sites containing knowledge about Buddha, Buddhism's central tenets, and the history of Buddhism (including the various branches that have evolved over time and geography) with Bahá'í perspectives.

“The content of the course vastly extended my understanding of Buddhism that was developed last fall by a class I took in Tibetan Buddhist Mediation. The course has given me confidence to establish connections with the Buddhist community in [my area] to explore teaching opportunities. Indirectly, the readings—and especially the postings of students and faculty—have provided another perspective on the basic teachings of the Bahá'í Faith.  Most profoundly, the "no God" concept of Buddhism has helped to clarify the statements by Bahá'u'lláh about the ineffable nature of the generative impulse of the universe. And, despite the frequent references to God within the scripture of Christianity and Islam, my understanding of our evocations now leads to a deeper sense of humility.”