L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday Now A Religious Holiday in New Jersey

L. Ron Hubbard

New Jersey has added L. Ron Hubbard’s birthday to the list of 100 state religious holidays.

Students of New Jersey will now be able to celebrate the birthday of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Church of Scientology, along with Holi, a Hindu festival, and Holla Mohalla, a Sikh festival, on March 13, 2017. The New Jersey State Board of Education has officially added March 13, the birth date of Mr. Hubbard, to its list of 100 state religious holidays, for the academic year 2016-2017.

L. Ron Hubbard’s Birthday Now A Religious Holiday in New Jersey[/tweetthis]

Schools will remain open on these days, however, the schools will allow excused absences for students who are observing these religious holidays. A student who would like to celebrate a particular religious holiday, can be excused from coming to school that day, as long as he/she could present a written excuse to the school signed by a parent or a guardian. It is the responsibility of the school to ensure that the students make up any tests or assignments that they missed during that day.

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, popularly known as L. Ron Hubbard or LRH is the founder of the religion Scientology and its church. He is also a famous author, best known for his fantasy and science fiction stories. On March 13, Scientologists from all over the world gather at the spiritual headquarters of the religion located in Clearwater, Florida, to celebrate his birthday, life and legacy. For those who are unable to attend, screenings of the Clearwater event are conducted at their own church, the following week. The birthday events include a presentation from Mr. Hubbard's biographer, Danny Sherman, recorded lectures of LRH about his adventures, discoveries, and wartime experiences, and biographical vignettes in video.

The Smithsonian magazine in 2014 cited L. Ron Hubbard as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all time. He is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated and published author in the world. He died in the year 1986 as a result of a stroke. The Church of Scientology has millions of members in about 167 countries.

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