How to preserve a civilization through stainless steel and titanium
In short: Deep within mountainsides in New Mexico and California, a specialized archive is preparing for the end of the world. Using gold discs and steel plates, the Church of Spiritual Technology is engineering a library designed to survive a nuclear holocaust and rebuild society from the ashes.
Incorporated in 1982 by Sherman Lenske, the Church of Spiritual Technology (CST) functions as a high-tech repository for the works of L. Ron Hubbard. Unlike other Scientology entities, CST does not manage religious services; instead, it focuses on long-term archival preservation. The organization's mission is to ensure Hubbard's 'technology' remains available in its original form, regardless of societal collapse.
The preservation methods are remarkably robust. To protect against natural and man-made calamities, Hubbard's writings are engraved on stainless steel plates and encased in titanium capsules. These plates are engineered to withstand salt water for at least a thousand years. For audio recordings, Hubbard's taped lectures are transferred onto gold compact discs encased in glass. Some of these archives are housed in underground vaults, such as the Trementina Base in New Mexico, which features a network of tunnels and a private airstrip.
The scale of this project involves significant infrastructure. In Tuolumne, California, the Lady Washington Mine serves as an archival site, featuring a tunnel 250 feet long with a 10.5-foot domed ceiling. The organization's financial structure is also unique; under specific agreements, the Religious Technology Center is required to turn over a vast portion of its net income to CST—historically as much as 59% in 1989, and potentially up to 90% under current rules.
While the project aims for millennial-scale survival, the organization has faced modern legal and political scrutiny. In 2021, Russia designated CST as an 'undesirable organization.' To protect its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status, which was officially granted in 1993, CST employs 'Special Directors' who are lawyers rather than Scientologists, ensuring the corporation's actions do not jeopardize its standing with the Internal Revenue Service.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Church of Spiritual Technology
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