Philosophy

Rick, Deborah, and Julianna's Place

Our Philosophy

On our wedding day, January 2, 1993, we promised each other that we would make our marriage a sign of hope to you, our family and friends. In our formal Declaration of Love and Hope, we said,

wedding photo
photo by John E. Kimpel

We'll Share this love we/ve found
     With strangers and with friends;
With the love of God within us,
     We'll draw our circle wide . . .
We'll respect all God's creatures,
     Whether great or small;
We'll defend their dignity;
     We'll live compassion and peace.
We'll fill the earth with gladness;
     We'll be a sign of hope;
That love's alive and burning bright
     In Deborah and in Rick.

Guiding Principles

We all need some principles to live by, that is, some expression of the values which form the basis of our decisions, our behavior, and our way of life. These are ours, the Rick and Deborah version.

We believe in compassion, freedom, reason, and tolerance.

We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person.

We believe in justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

We believe in the authority of reason and conscience.

We believe in the never-ending search for Truth.

We believe in the importance of religious community.

These principles are derived, in part, from statements published by the Unitarian Universalist Association, of which our church, the Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater, is a member.

Here are a couple hot links to click on, just in case you need to learn a little more about us UU's:

Unitarian Universalist Association

Unitarian Universalists of Clearwater

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