The Druid Network accepted as a charity

[skydove]

Thought you would like to see this

"It is with great pleasure we announce to the membership that at a meeting of The Charity Commission on the 21st September The Druid Network was accepted as a charity that furthers religion. This is the culmination of many years of hard work, the Charity Commission did not grant this lightly and questioned all aspects of druid practice, belief,coherence and the public character of The Druid Network (whether TDN is beneficial to the public).

What this means is that Druidry is now accepted as a valid religion under English Charity Law. This gives Druidry equal status with other accepted religions in all areas including the workplace; a huge step and cause for great celebration.

Further details will be given on the website once registration has been completed.

Phil - on behalf of The Trustees.

The Druid Network
www.druidnetwork.org"

[wolf560]

Congratulations..!!!

Just another step towards some legitimacy in this world.

[fulbert-avebury]

Wonderful news, and undoubtedly after much hard work.

Would you consider (or has it already happened?) discussing the experience you went through and what you learned along the way? It may be valuable for others who may at some point consider doing the same thing.

Jeffrey

[skydove]

Hi Jeffrey
I'm not a member of the druid network myself but have friends who are. As soon as the report is published I'm sure we will be able to post it, but it's fantastic news to achieve charitable status and thus 'street cred' for the network and the whole of druidry particularly here in England.
Maybe if you look at the link they will discuss it in due course.

http://www.druidnetwork.org/

[Seeker]

Congrats, TDN!

As someone who has spent close to 30 years in non-profit/charity work on this "side of the pond", I appreciate all the hard work you have gone through.

Face the Winds,

[Arth Frown]

What has been overlooked is druidry now has a definition under British law.
It's quite a monumental turning point in British druidry.

[Oneonine]

That was my first thought on reading this too Arth. For instance, I wondered if I would now be taken as seriously as other religions when asking for a holiday on a festival. If I was sacked for taking a holiday when they were short staffed because it was a religious festival, someone who took a jewish festival would previously have had more chance of getting it to a job tribunal than a druid taking Beltane.

Religious persecution laws will have more bite with this definition too, I suppose?

I notice that England is specifically mentioned too. Is this a law that will have to be passed separately by the other union parliaments then?

[Dendrias]

I'm not very well-read in the English Charity law, but "The Charity Commission for England and Wales" has nothing to say in Germany. Well, I think it's for England and Wales, exclusively. France might have a commission on its own.

I'm still not sure, whether this news means that "druidry is accepted as a religion" or that "the druid network is accepted as a charitable organisation". The commission's text would support the second point, as far as I have understood.

So, I have faith, that Your believe is not under threat.

[Oneonine]

Yeah, you are right... I checked out the document and it relates to a definition of druidry being put forward by TDN being acceptable as a definition of them as a religious charity, and that anyone availing themselves of the TDN network will agree that the definition applies to them. They could have become a charity promoting spirituality without the religious definition if it came to it.

But being recognised as a religion is moving forward people's understanding of druidry, and dispelling misunderstandings, I suppose.

The charity commission also has a slightly different understanding of what constitutes a religion qualifying for charity status, as opposed to just being recognised as a religion under law.

For instance, Christian Scientology gets donations, but they benefit Christian Scientology, not the community. TDN had to prove that druids make an effort to be of benefit to the wider community.

There are other differences between being recognised as a religion and a charitable religion, like saying that no one is barred, through elitism or poverty, and there are no secret hierarchies etc...

The one difference I can't get over is the need to believe in a supreme diety. You can be a religion that has no belief in a supreme diety, but you can't be a charitable religion. Odd.

[Dendrias]

What's christian scientology?

[Oneonine]

It's this religion started by the sci-fi writer who wrote Dianetics, Ron L. Hubbard. If half of what's said about it is true, it's quite weird. I feel sure one day a time capsule will be opened and Ron L. Hubbard will have left a message - GOTCHA!! Then again, The possibility of everything exists, so the possibility they are right must do too. Till you open the box and look inside, you don't know, after all.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianetics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology

They had a display going on in a hotel near me once. A chap cornered me pretty quickly and asked what I thought of it. I said they had taken a lot of metaphysical stuff from a lot of world religions, then added scripture and christian names to them, as far as I could see.

He said I was very intelligent and should try their machine that tested for higher mindpowers and potential blocks to suchlike. He then put me on one of those machines that measures your static electricity field, and told me it was their invention for measuring my potential. He told me to concentrate on making the needle move to the right, which of course, it did. He told me I had potential, I told him all about biofeedback. He started asking me personal questions and writing down what the needle did too... without waiting for me to reply. Quite quickfire and without asking first.

Then I made the needle move to the left, cos I was bored and wanted to see if it would, which he said wasnt supposed to happen, though it kept happening even when he made adjustments. I got up to leave and he said I'd have to wait while he told someone what the machine did and I said no thanks. He ordered me to wait, shouting for a collegue, so of course, I left. They chased me onto the street saying they were very interested. Followed me till I made them stop too. Very odd.

[Dendrias]

Ah! That's called "Scientology" in Germany. As they're lacking the "christian" part, I was wondering if there was a christian thingy called somewhat like that.

[Oneonine]

I only thought of them because the Charity Commission refused to recognise them as a religion in the past.

[MiriamSPia]

Good to know, thanks!

[Donagh MacBran]

What this means is that Druidry is now accepted as a valid religion under English Charity Law. This gives Druidry equal status with other accepted religions in all areas including the workplace; a huge step and cause for great celebration.

Does that just apply to England, or is that in the whole of the UK?

[mwyalchen]

That was my first thought on reading this too Arth. For instance, I wondered if I would now be taken as seriously as other religions when asking for a holiday on a festival. If I was sacked for taking a holiday when they were short staffed because it was a religious festival, someone who took a jewish festival would previously have had more chance of getting it to a job tribunal than a druid taking Beltane.

Religious persecution laws will have more bite with this definition too, I suppose?

I notice that England is specifically mentioned too. Is this a law that will have to be passed separately by the other union parliaments then?

This decision is strictly about charity law and will have no effect at all on employment rights.

But what you mention is already covered by the ACAS guidance on religious discrimination in employment; which does indeed suggest that where it's practical UK employers should accord equal rights when it comes to holiday leave.