Source: Religion News Services
LONDON, UK, October 4, 2010: Druidry, the pagan worship that has been practiced on these shores for thousands of years, on Friday gained recognition by the British government as an official religion after a four-year legal battle. The Charity Commission, established by Parliament to regulate charities in England and Wales, released a Sept. 21 decision that the worship by druids of spirits in the natural world could be viewed as a “religious activity.”
The decision means Druidry, often derided by some as the province of mystic crackpots, now has the status of a genuine faith in Britain, alongside more conventional religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam. In pragmatic terms, it also means the druids now qualify for valuable tax breaks, in the same way as the other, more established faiths.
Druidry in Britain lists eight major festivals a year, including worshipping of the summer solstice amid the ancient stone monoliths at Stonehenge.