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Co-optation of the ancient knowledge continues

Unchecked.

Status as a charity, indeed!

Druids recognized as religion for first time in UK

From Associated Press
October 02, 2010 11:18 AM EDT

LONDON (AP) — The ancient pagan tradition of Druidry has been formally recognized as a religion in Britain — a decision its followers hailed Saturday as as a long-overdue status for the worship of spirits and the natural world.

The Druid Network, a group of about 350 Druids, will receive exemptions from taxes on donations after the semi-governmental Charity Commission granted it charitable status just like mainstream religions such as the Church of England.

To register as a religious charity in England, an organization must satisfy requirements that include belief in a supreme entity, a degree of cohesion and seriousness, and a beneficial moral framework.

Druids have practiced for thousands of years in Britain, worshipping natural forces such as thunder and the sun, and spirits they believe arise from places such as mountains and rivers.

"There is sufficient belief in a supreme being or entity to constitute a religion for the purposes of charity law," the Charity Commission said.

It took nearly five years for the charities regulator to decide on the Druids' status, said Phil Ryder, who chairs the Druid Network.

"There were a lot of problems and we had to go into a lot of explanations ... it was just a matter of them trying to understand it," he said. "It will go a long way to make Druidry a lot more accessible. We now have an added level of validity, which is quite important to us."

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