Druids Finally "Legal" in UK

[TarionzCousin]

Link.

UK Recognizes Druidry As Religion
by The Associated Press

October 2, 2010

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."

So... when will they finally recognize wizards?

 

[tuxgeo]

[Context: After years of deliberation, the United Kingdom has officially recognized Druidry as being a religion.]

Link.
So... when will they finally recognize wizards?

Not soon, because first they have to develop enough discernment to be able to differentiate wizards from ordinary human beings.
[it's the cloth armor they wear: it doesn't look enough different from a simple business suit these days for the authorities there to recognize the distinction.]

 

[Edvamp]

They all turned 18?

 

[TarionzCousin]

Not soon, because first they have to develop enough discernment to be able to differentiate wizards from ordinary human beings.
[it's the cloth armor they wear: it doesn't look enough different from a simple business suit these days for the authorities there to recognize the distinction.]

Are you saying that you wouldn't recognize these guys as wizards--that they "blend in"?

 

[Tiitha]

They totally could make wizardry a religion if people could organize it. There's even a Church of Jedi.

 

[S'mon]

I remember when I first started studying Law here in England 19 years ago, I was struck by the Charity Law on religion: to be a Religion, you had to be monotheist. I guess they've relaxed/tweaked that now with this "supreme being" idea, so polytheisms with a pre-eminent deity/force can now get charitable status.

 

[Umbran]

Religion and politics?

Nope. Sorry. Thread closed.