Notice: Fredric Rice may have removed segments of the replies given to questions if they contained copyrighted materials. After a very short while, Scientology "experts" refused to answer questions and started cut-and-pasting copyrighted cult propaganda. Additionally I removed URLs in some of the replies, and left them in others. And it's also important to note that eventually the unfortunate "Greg Churilov" cultist was ejected from askme.com for his typical Scientological behavior.

Subject: Scientology cult front group called 'CST'
Answered by: honorarykid
Asked By: Anonymous

Anonymous asked this question on 5/4/2000:

Do you know whether the Scientology front called "Church of Spiritual Technology" still exists today?

Judge Bruggink ruled that "CST is not a church... CST represents that it is a religious corporation organized to accomplish the activities of a church. Despite its name, CST is not itself a church...."

If I'm not mistaken, this Scientology cult front company existed in name only. Does anyone know if it still exists?

honorarykid gave this response on 5/4/2000:

Yes, it still exists, and I believe you are correct. The "Church of Spiritual Technology" is more akin to a corporate holding company than anything else. There is no church building or congregation associated with that name.

If I recall correctly, the CST is the legal corporate parent company of other Scientology corporations, which include Author Services, Inc. (this is the company which stands to benefit from the sales of Battlefield Earth toys), Bridge Publishing, publishers of "Dianetics," "The Way To Happiness," and all those very lucrative Scientology course materials, and Religious Technology Center (RTC) where Sea Org head David Miscavige is the Chairman, and others.

Of course, the one group that really runs and defines Scientology, is not a corporate group, at all. It is the Sea Org, an informal association, guided mainly by cultic zealotry and the personal commitments of its members. It is not restrained by corporate bylaws.

BTW, before the CST, the main corporate body of Scientology was called the "Church of Scientology of California" (CSC). This corporate entity was successfully sued by a disgrunted former member, Larry Wollershiem, in civil court. Wollershiem successfully demonstrated to a jury that he had been systematically abused and lied to the entire time he was a member of the Sea Org.

Wollershiem won a legal judgement of 30 million dollars (which was later reduced by the judge to 2.5 million dollars). The CSC then disbanded itself, and reformed in it's present incarnation, the CST. The CST then claimed the CSC was bankrupt so as to avoid paying the judgment. Mr. Wollersheim is still trying to collect on his judgement almost 20 years later.

The CST has filed numerous countersuits and stalled and obfuscated, in order to avoid paying this judgement. One day, perhaps a judge will see through this legal and corporate chicanery, and award Mr. Wollershiem some valuable piece of Scientology real estate?

Further facts about this criminal empire may be found at Operation Clambake and FACTNet.

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