Druidry officially recognised as a religion

Druids have been officially recognised as members of a religion under charity law, giving it equal status to mainstream religions like Christianity. The Charity Commission has granted the Druid Network charitable status, meaning it is also now eligible for tax breaks.

The commission said druidry, which dates back thousands of years, has a coherent and serious set of beliefs and offers a beneficial ethical framework.

It also stated that the Druid Network's work in promoting druidry as a religion is in the public interest.

In its ruling on the group's application, the commission said it accepted druidry is an "ancient pagan religion" in its own right involving the worship of nature, particularly the sun and the earth.

The Druid Network said in a statement: "This has been a long hard struggle, taking over five years to complete."

Druidry emerged in ancient Ireland and Britain and spread further afield during the Iron Age, especially into France, but became largely supplanted as Christianity took hold across Europe.

It has gained recent popularity because of its doctrine which identified the universe with God and its concern with ecology.


/Sky News/