Druids recognized as religion for first time in UK

[Traveling Through]

Druids recognized as religion for first time in UK

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101002/...ids_recognized

By SYLVIA HUI, Associated Press Writer Sylvia Hui, Associated Press Writer – 36 mins ago
LONDON – 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 status of a religion charity, 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. 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.

Druids have practiced for thousands of years in Britain and in Celtic societies elsewhere in Europe.

They worship natural forces such as thunder and the sun, and spirits they believe arise from places such as mountains and rivers. They do not worship a single god or creator, but seek to cultivate a sacred relationship with the natural world.

Although they are best known as robed, mysterious people who gather every summer solstice at Stonehenge — which predates the Druids — believers say modern Druidry is chiefly concerned with helping practitioners connect with nature and themselves through rituals, dancing and singing at stone circles and other sites throughout the country believed to be "sacred."

Phil Ryder, who chairs the Druid Network, welcomed the ruling and said it gave the spiritual tradition added validity.

"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."

The history of ancient Druids date back to pre-Christian times, and were known to be religious leaders and sages among the Celts. There are now various Druid orders and about 10,000 practitioners in Britain — and believers said the numbers are growing because more people are becoming aware of the importance to preserve the environment.

"The world is running out of resources, and in that context it's more important to people now to formulate a relationship with nature," said Adrian Rooke, a Druid who works as a counselor.

[Hootmon]

The history of ancient Druids date back to pre-Christian times, and were known to be religious leaders and sages among the Celts. There are now various Druid orders and about 10,000 practitioners in Britain — and believers said the numbers are growing because more people are becoming aware of the importance to preserve the environment.

"The world is running out of resources, and in that context it's more important to people now to formulate a relationship with nature," said Adrian Rooke, a Druid who works as a counselor.

Gaia worship.

[steph1962]

Druids recognized as religion for first time in UK

October 2, 2010

LONDON — Druidry has been officially
recognized as a religion in Britain under
charity law.

The Charity Commission has granted the
Druid Network charitable status, giving it tax
breaks and equal status to mainstream
religions like Christianity.

The commission said Saturday that druidry
has a coherent and serious set of beliefs and
that it offers a beneficial ethical framework. It
also says that the Druid Network's work in
promoting druidry as a religion is in the public
interest.

Druidry is an ancient pagan tradition that
dates back thousands of years in Britain.
Druids worship deities characterized as
natural forces, such as thunder and sun, and
spirits they believe arise from places such as
mountains and rivers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39472198...ope/?GT1=43001

[Raphael]

There was a celebration of this ruling at Stonehenge. The celebrants were decked out in wood-nymph robes, carrying items that looked like they were plucked from the trees in the Blair Witch Project.

Was it wrong of me to remember the scene in National Lampoon's European Vacation where Chevy Chase bumped one of the stones, causing them all to get knocked over domino-style?

[iSong6:3]

I had some program about the ancient Druids on in the background the other day. From what the forensic scientists have been able to piece together, they practiced human sacrifice and cannibalism.

They found long human bones with the ends surgically cut off. They said if it were animal bones they would realize it was to eat the marrow out of them. They have to assume that it's the same for the human bones cut like this.

They said societies, when under *extreme pressure* - such as the fact that the Druids were about to be vanquished by the Romans - can resort to the practice of cannibalism.

All righty then.

[6stringedsignseeker]

I've actually known people that were practicing Druids here, in the U.S. That was back in my pagan days.