Britain Recognizes Druidry as Religion

You can now breathe easily Lord of the Rings fans, for Druidry, the ancient belief that worships deities that assume different forms in nature, was recognized as a religion in Britain for the first time Saturday and granted charitable status. “There is a sufficient belief in a supreme being or entity to constitute a religion for the purposes of charity law,” declared the Charity Commission for England and Wales in response to the Druid Network's application. “This has been a long hard struggle taking over five years to complete,” said the 350-strong Druid Network, based in England, in a statement on its website. The neo-pagan religion, best known for its cloaked worshipers at Stonehenge, hopes the tax breaks will lead to growth and acceptance. Members of the Druidry associate their gods with the moon, fertility, rain, love, and other natural forces, and are part of a growing number of neo-pagan groups in the U.S. as well.