"Druidry" Is An Official Religion In Britain

I didn't realize this, but the so-called "Druid Network" was recognized as an official religion in Britain back in 2010. I have no problem with that, but I doubt if the modern version of Druidism has anything to do with the ancient beliefs, which are still obscure. The Druid Network openly admits that it's hard to define what Druidism is and they urge people to come up with their own definitions, which is very open-minded of them, to say the least. I'm sure their "beliefs" are all suitably New Age, environmentally friendly and generally warm and fuzzy.

The real Druids, on the other hand, apparently conducted human sacrifice and even cannibalism" in their rituals -- the Romans brought back all kinds of horror stories about their religious practices. A good, fictionalized description of the Roman view of the Druids can be found in the classic novel about Boudicca's Revolt in the novel Imperial Governor by George Shipway. It's hard to know how much truth there is to this view of the Druids, but I have a feeling that they weren't exactly a bunch of hippies in robes frolicing through the woods with the birds and bunny rabbits.

The thing these modern "pagans" don't seem to understand is that blood sacrifice was at the very center of ancient religions. That's a hard thing to sell to the government, however, when you're trying to get official recognition and tax-exempt status.