Editing L. Ron Hubbard (section)

===In Scientology===
After his death, Scientology leaders announced that Hubbard's body had become an impediment to his work and that he had decided to "drop his body" to continue his research.<ref name="PETRO">{{Cite book |last=Petrowsky |first=Marc |title=Sects, Cults, and Spiritual Communities: A Sociological Analysis |publisher=Praeger |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-275-95860-2 |location=Westport, Conn |page=144}}</ref>{{sfn|Atack|1990|p=354}} The copyrights of his works and much of his estate were willed to the Church of Scientology.{{r|reitman-rs}} According to the church, Hubbard's entire corpus of Scientology and Dianetics texts are etched onto steel tablets in a [[Trementina Base|vault under a mountain]], on top of which a Hubbard-designed logo has been bulldozed, intended to be [[Artificial structures visible from space|visible from space]].<ref name="Gallagher">{{Cite book |last1=Gallagher |first1=Eugene V. |title=African Diaspora Traditions and Other American Innovations |last2=Ashcraft |first2=Michael |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-275-98717-6 |series=Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America |volume=5 |location=Westport, Conn. |page=172}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=35°31'28.6"N 104°34'20.2"W |url=https://www.google.com/maps?q=35%C2%B031%2728.56%22N+104%C2%B034%2720.20%22W&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=35.525643,-104.570575&spn=0.005772,0.013937&sll=35.508509,-104.552636&sspn=0.011546,0.027874&t=h&z=17 |website=Google maps}}</ref>

Hubbard's presence pervades Scientology, and his birthday is celebrated annually.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tonyortega.substack.com/p/scientology-founder-l-ron-hubbards|title=Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's 112th birthday: What's your favorite tall tale of his?|first=Tony|last=Ortega|date=March 13, 2023}}</ref> Every Church of Scientology maintains an office reserved for Hubbard, with a desk, chair and writing equipment, ready to be used.{{r|reitman-rs}} Hubbard is regarded as the ultimate source of Scientology, and is often referred to as simply "Source", and he has no successor.<ref>per [[Lonnie D. Kliever]]</ref>{{sfn|Rothstein|2007|p=24}} Scientology has been described as "a movement focused on the figure of Hubbard".<ref>per [[Mikael Rothstein]]</ref> Hubbard is presented as "the master of a multitude of disciplines" who performed extraordinary feats as a photographer, composer, scientist, therapist, explorer, navigator, philosopher, poet, artist, humanitarian, adventurer, soldier, scout, musician and many other fields of endeavor.{{sfn|Rothstein|2007|p=21}} Busts and portraits of Hubbard are commonplace throughout Scientology organizations, and meetings involve a round of applause to Hubbard's portrait.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Westbrook |first=Donald A. |title=Handbook of Scientology |publisher=Brill |year=2017 |isbn=9789004330542 |editor-last=Lewis |editor-first=James R. |editor-link=James R. Lewis (scholar) |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |chapter=Researching Scientology and Scientologists in the United States: Methods and Conclusions |editor-last2=Hellesoy |editor-first2=Kjersti}}</ref>{{rp|29–30}}<ref>My Scientology Movie, at 59:00</ref> In 2009, the [[American Religious Identification Survey]] found that 25,000 Americans identified as Scientologists.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 1, 2009 |title=Defections, court fights test Scientology |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33574688 |access-date=February 14, 2011}}</ref>

Scientology's sacred texts are inextricably linked to L. Ron Hubbard. According to Scientology's official doctrine, "Hubbard is the sole author or narrator of each and every one of the religion's sacred books; indeed he is considered to be the single orchestrating genrius behind everything Scientological." Scientologists consider everything Hubbard ever said in verbal or written terms as "scripture".{{Sfn|Rothstein|2007|p=19}}