Church of Spiritual Technology

Last updated

Church of Spiritual Technology
AbbreviationCST
Formation1982
TypeNonprofit
PurposeOwns the copyrights to the works of L. Ron Hubbard and licenses their use
Headquarters25406 State Highway 189, Twin Peaks, California 92391
CoordinatesLatitude: 34.229853 Longitude: -117.25
ProductPreservation and archiving of L. Ron Hubbard's writings and lectures. [1]
David Miscavige
President
Russell Bellin
Secretary
Jeanne Reynolds
Treasurer
Arthur Bolstad
RemarksAssets: US$ 447 million (2012)

The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, [2] incorporated in 1982, which owns all the copyrights of the estate of L. Ron Hubbard and licenses their use. CST does business as L. Ron Hubbard Library. [1] The Church of Spiritual Technology points to Hubbard as the “focal point,” with the structure designed to realize what Scientologists understand to be his vision. The stated purpose of the archive in CST, according to the church is “so that future generations will have available to them all of L. Ron Hubbard’s technology in its exact and original form, no matter what happens to the society.” [3]

Contents

Corporate information

The Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) was incorporated by Sherman Lenske in Woodland Hills, California, on May 27, 1982. [4] The Bylaws of CST were signed on June 7, 1982, by its General and Special Directors, who were at that time Lyman Spurlock, Rebecca Pook, Maria Starkey, Stephen A. Lenske, Sherman D. Lenske and Lawrence A. Heller. In 1986, CST's Articles of Incorporation were amended to clarify the "disposition of the corporation's assets upon dissolution". On August 18, 1993, CST filed an application for tax exemption under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Internal Revenue Service granted CST's request for exemption through an official recognition letter on October 1, 1993. [5]

At the time of the filing for tax exemption, the following individuals held corporate positions at CST: The Board of Trustees was composed of John Allcock, David Lantz and Russell Bellin. Thomas Vorm, Russell Bellin and Catherine Schmidt formed the Board of Directors. CST's President was Russell Bellin, its Vice-President Thomas Vorm, its Secretary Jane McNairn and its Treasurer Catherine Schmidt.[ citation needed ]

Licensing of trademarks and service marks

July 8, 1988 IRS, final adverse ruling letter with regards to application for tax exempt status of Church of Spiritual Technology IRS-CST-Denial-Letter.pdf
July 8, 1988 IRS, final adverse ruling letter with regards to application for tax exempt status of Church of Spiritual Technology

The existence and founding of CST is intimately connected to the creation of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), which was incorporated on January 1, 1982. Shortly after its inception, RTC received on May 16, 1982 "the ownership, supervision and control" of the trademarks and service marks, identifying "Scientology applied religious philosophy" and "Dianetics spiritual healing technology" by the originator and founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard through a so-called "Assignment Agreement".

This agreement was subject to an additional "Option Agreement" between Hubbard, RTC and CST. In two so-called "Option Agreements" from May 1982, Hubbard granted CST the right to purchase at any time from RTC the "Marks", the "Advanced Technology" and all the rights to them for the sum of $100.

Parallel and similar-sounding agreements between Hubbard, RTC and CST were created during that period concerning the so-called "Advanced Technology," which consists of unpublished derivatives of Scientology's confidential "Advanced technology".

Under these agreements, RTC is forced to turn over 90% of its net income to CST. A document from 1991, reflecting the "financial money flows" of RTC during the year 1989, actually showed a turnover of 59% of RTC's net income towards CST.

Other examples of trademarks and service marks owned by CST are The Way to Happiness and The Way to Happiness symbol. As such, CST operates as the L. Ron Hubbard Library. [6]

Facility locations

CST operates numerous bases throughout the western United States. Locations include:

Twin Peaks, California

This location is said to be where Shelly Miscavige is kept by the Church. Located at 25406 California Highway 189, Twin Peaks, California, this location is one of the more secretive within the Church.

Creston, California (Creston Ranch / Whispering Winds Ranch)

Creston Ranch. Note CST logo top center) Church of Spiritual Technology ranch Creston.jpg
Creston Ranch. Note CST logo top center)

While not a vault location, the Creston Ranch, where L. Ron Hubbard spent his last days, is marked with the CST logo. It is located at 4675 Coyote Creek Lane, Creston, California, with coordinates 35°27′13″N120°30′0″W / 35.45361°N 120.50000°W / 35.45361; -120.50000 (Church of Spiritual Technology)

Triple Jay Ranch, California

Petrolia, California (Sunset View / Eureka)

The property is used as an archival document storage repository, which will store religious documents preserved by CST.

Tuolumne, California (Lady Washington Mine)

Located at 18749 First Avenue, Tuolumne serves as archival storage for the writings of L. Ron Hubbard. The Lady Washington Mine and two houses on 26.23 acres were purchased in 1988 by William and Donna Daniels. In 1988, the Daniels gave the property to Norman Starkey, trustee of "Author's Family Trust". Starkey gave the property to the Church of Spiritual Technology in 1993. Digging began in 1997. According to the Los Angeles Times, the CST "is using state-of-the-art technology to protect Hubbard's writings, tape-recorded lectures and filmed treatises from natural and man-made calamities, including nuclear holocaust."

According to plans filed with the Tuolumne County Building Department the facility features a 15-foot-wide, 250-foot-long-tunnel. The first 98 feet from the entrance are improved, with a 10.5-foot domed ceiling. At the end of the 98 feet is a 10-foot-long storage room.

Trementina, New Mexico (San Miguel Ranch / Trementina Base)

Trementina Base runway and CST Logo Scientology Trementina.jpg
Trementina Base runway and CST Logo

According to CST, the purpose of this base is to provide storage space for an archiving project to preserve Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's writings, films and recordings for future generations. Hubbard's texts have been engraved on stainless steel tablets and encased in titanium capsules underground. The project began in the late 1980s.

The base includes a number of dwellings and the archives themselves, the latter in a network of tunnels. The base also has its own private, concrete airstrip, the San Miguel Ranch Airport (NM53).

The site is about a 2+1⁄2-hour drive east of Santa Fe. Access is through a gated road and a private concrete airstrip, the San Miguel Ranch Airport (NM53). The Trementina location is supposedly a store for material written by L.R. Hubbard, as shown in 1998 on ABC News 20/20 :

"Buried deep in these New Mexico hills in steel-lined tunnels, said to be able to survive a nuclear blast, is what Scientology considers the future of mankind," ABC's Tom Jarriel said in his report. "Seen here for the first time, thousands of metal records, stored in heat-resistant titanium boxes and playable on a solar-powered turntable, all containing the beliefs of Scientology's founder, L. Ron Hubbard."

The site is marked from the air with Church of Spiritual Technology double diamonds. A runway for smaller airplanes is located on CST owned land in connection to the site. The original short strip was expanded in the early 1990s on land acquired by a land swap deal between CST and neighboring land owners in 1992.

Archives

The CST oversees the Scientology scriptural archiving project, which aims to preserve the works of Hubbard on stainless steel tablets and encased in titanium capsules in specially constructed vaults throughout the world. [7] Copies of Hubbard's works go through a rigorous process, beginning with the removal of deterioration-causing acid from the paper, and then being placed in plastic envelopes. They are then placed in the titanium "time capsules." The writings are also carved into stainless steel plates, which, according to Church of Scientology officials, can withstand being sprayed with salt water for a thousand years. Hubbard's taped lectures are recorded again into gold compact discs encased in glass. [8]

The Church places prime value to Hubbard's volumes of works and because of this has instituted the CST to “engrave the entire corpus of Hubbard’s original texts on steel plates.” [9] The most famous example is the Trementina Base, an underground vault built into a mountainside near Trementina, New Mexico. It is marked by a CST logo visible only from a high altitude and was built in the late 1980s. [10] [11] Former members claim that the purpose of CST's archival efforts is to ensure that Hubbard's work survive a nuclear apocalypse and reform civilization. [12] [13] The church believes that these plates will last beyond a thousand years and that Hubbard's teachings will be vital for "rebuilding civilization," in the event of global turmoil. [9] Former members of the church also claim that the symbols in the logo are “guide markers for Scientologists returning from other parts of the universe," according to Scientology in Popular Culture: Influences and Struggles for Legitimacy.

According to the Scientology website, the Church of Spiritual Technology “is not involved in the ecclesiastical management of Scientology churches or the delivery of Scientology religious services. Its day-to-day activities are the long-term archival preservation methods to ensure that Mr. Hubbard’s written recorded works will be preserved for future generations.” The website also states that the archive's purpose is to make available L. Ron Hubbard's technology “in its exact and original form, no matter what happens to the society.” [14]

Additional archive sites exist in Tuolumne, California [15] and Petrolia, California. [16]

Structure

The first time the Church of Spiritual Technology was mentioned publicly to Scientologists was by David Miscavige in 2000 at the New Year's event. [17] Its founders included Meade Emory, [18] a non-Scientologist who used to work for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) but went into private practice as a tax lawyer. He was hired as a specialist for the complex Internal Revenue Codes.[ clarification needed ] The Church of Scientology International and most Scientology organizations settled with the IRS about 11 years later when the service passed a resolution in 1993 declaring the Church tax-exempt.

Other Scientology organizations require all corporate officers to be Scientologists in good standing, along with Scientologist general directors and staff. The CST, however, includes "Special Directors" who are not required to be Scientologists, but who are required to be lawyers "to ensure that CST takes no action to jeopardize its tax-exempt status" (CST vs. IRS, US Claims Court No. 581-88T, June 29, 1992). [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology and law</span> Church of Scientology legal cases

The Church of Scientology has been involved in numerous court disputes across the world. In some cases, when the Church has initiated the dispute, questions have been raised as to its motives. The Church of Scientology says that its use of the legal system is necessary to protect its intellectual property and its right to freedom of religion. Critics say that most of the organization's legal claims are designed to harass those who criticize it and its manipulative business practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology beliefs and practices</span> Scientology beliefs and practices

The Church of Scientology maintains a wide variety of beliefs and practices. The core belief holds that a human is an immortal, spiritual being (thetan) that is resident in a physical body. The thetan has had innumerable past lives, some of which, preceding the thetan's arrival on Earth, were lived in extraterrestrial cultures. Based on case studies at advanced levels, it is predicted that any Scientologist undergoing auditing will eventually come across and recount a common series of past-life events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology controversies</span>

Since its inception in 1954, the Church of Scientology has been involved in a number of controversies, including its stance on psychiatry, Scientology's legitimacy as a religion, the Church's aggressive attitude in dealing with its perceived enemies and critics, allegations of mistreatment of members, and predatory financial practices; for example, the high cost of religious training:191 and perceived exploitative practices. When mainstream media outlets have reported alleged abuses, representatives of the church have tended to deny such allegations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishman Affidavit</span> Documents of Scientologys secret materials

The Fishman Affidavit is a set of court documents submitted by self-professed ex-Scientologist Steven Fishman in 1993 in the federal case, Church of Scientology International v. Fishman and Geertz (Case No. CV 91-6426.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Sue Hubbard</span> Third wife of L. Ron Hubbard (1931–2002)

Mary Sue Hubbard was the third wife of L. Ron Hubbard, from 1952 until his death in 1986. She was a leading figure in Scientology for much of her life. The Hubbards had four children: Diana, Quentin (1954–1976), Suzette, and Arthur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious Technology Center</span> Scientology holder of trademarks

The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is an American non-profit corporation that was founded in 1982 by the Church of Scientology to control and oversee the use of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics. Although RTC controls their use, those works are owned by another corporation, the Church of Spiritual Technology which is doing business as L. Ron Hubbard Library, registered in Los Angeles County, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Miscavige</span> Leader of the Church of Scientology (born 1960)

David Miscavige is the second and current leader of the Church of Scientology. His official title within the organization is Chairman of the Board of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), a corporation that controls the trademarks and copyrights of Dianetics and Scientology. He is also referred to within the Scientology organization as "DM", "C.O.B." or "Captain of the Sea Org".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Scientology</span> American organization and business

The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a religious movement. The movement has been the subject of a number of controversies, and the Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgements as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business. In 1979, several executives of the organization were convicted and imprisoned for multiple offenses by a U.S. Federal Court. The Church of Scientology itself was convicted of fraud by a French court in 2009, a decision upheld by the supreme Court of Cassation in 2013. The German government classifies Scientology as an unconstitutional sect. In France, it has been classified as a dangerous cult. In some countries, it has attained legal recognition as a religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Rathbun</span> American Scientology whistleblower

Mark C. "Marty" Rathbun is a former senior executive of the Church of Scientology who last held the post of Inspector General of the Religious Technology Center (RTC), the organization that is responsible for the protection and enforcement of all Dianetics and Scientology copyrights and trademarks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trementina Base</span> Scientology-affiliated property in New Mexico

Trementina Base is the popular designation for a property of the Scientology-affiliated Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) near Trementina, New Mexico, US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Scientology</span>

This is a Timeline of Scientology and its forerunner Dianetics, particularly its foundation and development by author L. Ron Hubbard as well as general publications, articles, books and other milestones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology Missions International</span> Management for Scientology mission network

Scientology Missions International (SMI) is a Californian 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, which is located in Los Angeles, California. SMI is part of the Church of Scientology network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scientology in the United States</span>

Scientology was founded in the United States by science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard and is now practiced in many other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced Ability Center</span> David Mayos Scientology spinoff

The Advanced Ability Center was a breakaway organization from the Church of Scientology established by former Scientologist David Mayo after he left the Church in February 1983 – a time when most of Scientology's upper and middle management was removed following the formation of the Religious Technology Center (RTC) and RTC head David Miscavige's restructuring of the church. David Mayo had been Hubbard's own auditor. The Advanced Ability Center later became the Theta International movement and was also known as the Church of the New Civilization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Scientology officials</span> Staff and personnel of Church of Scientology network

The Church of Scientology network operates as a multinational conglomerate of companies with personnel, executives, organizational charts, chains of command, policies and orders.

Religious Technology Center is the most powerful executive organization within the Scientology empire, and its current chairman, David Miscavige, is widely recognized as the effective head of the church.

Pat Broeker, a former high-ranking member of the Church of Scientology, was – along with his wife Annie Broeker – one of the few people in direct contact with L. Ron Hubbard in his final years. He and his wife, and driver Steve "Sarge" Pfauth, left with Hubbard from his home in Hemet, California in 1980 and travelled around California in a motorhome until buying and settling at a ranch in San Luis Obispo County in 1983. The Broekers and Pfauth stayed with Hubbard until his death in January 1986. Due to ongoing investigations by the FBI and IRS following the arrests of high-ranking Scientologists, including Hubbard's wife Mary Sue Hubbard over Operation Snow White, the location of the ranch was kept secret and visits from Church management were forbidden while Hubbard was alive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Scientology International</span> Corporation operated by the Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology International (CSI) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Within the worldwide network of Scientology corporations and entities, CSI is officially referred to as the "mother church" of the Church of Scientology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tax status of Scientology in the United States</span> History of status with IRS

The tax status of the Church of Scientology in the United States has been the subject of decades of controversy and litigation. Although the Church of Scientology was initially partially exempted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from paying federal income tax, its two principal entities in the United States lost this exemption in 1957 and 1968. This action was taken because of concerns that church funds were being used for the private gain of its founder L. Ron Hubbard or due to an international psychiatric conspiracy against Scientology.

References

  1. 1 2 "What is Church of Spiritual Technology?". Church of Scientology . Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  2. ↑ Letter by the Internal Revenue Service to Flemming Paludan, Regional Director, Danish Tax-Office, Washington, D.C., USA, December 22nd, 1993
  3. ↑ Lewis, James R. Handbook of Scientology. 1st ed., vol. 14, BRILL, 2017.
  4. ↑ Articles of Incorporation of Church of Spiritual Technology, Endorsed Filed in the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of California, Woodland Hills, California, May 27th, 28th & June 1st, 1982
  5. ↑ Recognition Letter for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status - Church of Spiritual Technology, Washington, DC, October 1st, 1993
  6. ↑ "How to obtain permission to reprint The Way to Happiness booklets" (PDF). The Way to Happiness Foundation International. Retrieved December 2, 2006.
  7. ↑ Henderson, Bob (July 25, 1991). "Vault to get Hubbard's writings". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on April 24, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Church Scriptures Get High-Tech Protection". Los Angeles Times . June 24, 1990.
  9. 1 2 Cowan, Douglas; Bromley, David (2015). "Wiley Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion". Cults and New Religions: A Brief History. John Wiley & Sons.
  10. ↑ Leiby, Richard (November 27, 2005). "A Place in the Desert for New Mexico's Most Exclusive Circles". Washington Post. pp. D1. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  11. ↑ Cooper, Anderson (December 2, 2005). "Inside the Church of Scientology" (Transcript). Anderson Cooper 360° . CNN. Retrieved September 23, 2007.
  12. ↑ Scientology Leader David Miscavige's Disappeared Wife Shelly: What We Know, The Village Voice, 5 July 2012
  13. ↑ Scientology's Secret Vaults: A Rare Interview With a Former Member of Hush-Hush "CST", The Village Voice, 6 February 2012
  14. ↑ Lewis, J. (2017). Lewis, James R.; Hellesoy, Kjersti (eds.). Handbook of Scientology. Vol. Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion. Brill. ISBN   9789004330542.
  15. ↑ "Church of Scientology asks for rezone to care for history". The Union Democrat. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  16. ↑ Stern, Marlow (March 10, 2015). "Inside Scientology's Secret Bunkers". The Daily Beast. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  17. ↑ New Year 2000 event speech excerpt, by D.Miscavige
  18. ↑ "George Meade Emory Obituary". Seattle Times. October 12, 2010. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  19. ↑ CST vs. IRS - United States Claims Court, June 29 1992
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.