British ruling establishes religion status for Druids

[pepperbear]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/02/AR2010100203250.html?hpid=topnews

The ancient pagan tradition of Druidry has been formally accepted as a religion under charity law in Britain - a decision its followers hailed Saturday as giving long-overdue recognition to 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 the same status as mainstream religions such as the Church of England.

To register as a religious charity in Britain, an organization must satisfy requirements that include belief in a supreme entity, a degree of cohesion and seriousness and a beneficial moral framework. After a process that took nearly five years, the Charity Commission ruled that Druidry fit the bill.

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

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