Religious Technology Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Religious Technology Center (RTC) is a non-profit corporation established in 1982 by the Church of Scientology to control and oversee the uses of all of the trademarks, symbols and texts of Scientology and Dianetics, including the copyrighted works of the religion's founder, L. Ron Hubbard. (Although RTC controls their use, those works are owned by another corporation, the Church of Spiritual Technology.)
While exercising authority over the use of all Scientology materials, RTC claims that it does not directly manage the Church of Scientology; that role is assigned to a separate corporation, the Church of Scientology International (CSI). A CSI website describes the RTC as "another Church of Scientology that has a unique role in maintaining the very foundation of the religion." [1]
According to the RTC website, "RTC stands apart as an external body which protects the Scientology religion and acts as the final arbiter of orthodoxy." RTC's stated purpose is "to protect the public from misapplication of the technology and to see that the religious technologies of Dianetics and Scientology remain in proper hands and are properly ministered."
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[edit] Knowledge reports
The RTC maintains a task force called the Inspector General Network, an investigatory and policing body which operates from seven offices on four different continents. [1] The IGN's stated function is to "keep Scientology working by ensuring the pure and ethical use of Dianetics and Scientology technology." [2]
The RTC, like the Church of Scientology, encourages the use of any Knowledge Report (KR) from anyone inside or outside of the Church, to report on potential misuse of the Standard Tech and copyrighted/trademarked materials. They maintain an online form in which anyone is encouraged to report any such matters that may be of concern. [3]
[edit] Management
For several years, the Board of the Religious Technology Center consisted of three officers: Mark ("Marty") Rathbun, Inspector General; Warren McShane, Deputy Inspector General for Legal Affairs, and David Miscavige, Chairman. As of September 2005, all references to both Rathbun and McShane have disappeared from the RTC website, and their names or pictures have also been removed from other official Scientology websites. Though Miscavige is still listed as Chairman of the Board, no other board members are acknowledged. [4]
The legal address for the RTC is in Los Angeles, California, but their principal headquarters is at Scientology's "Gold Base", near Hemet, California. [2] [3]
[edit] Controversy
According to holysmoke.org, the RTC instigated the persecution of former church technical executive David Mayo and the church that Mayo founded, the Church of the New Civilization from the early 1980s until the mid-1990s.[5] Mayo disbanded the church after protracted harassment from lawsuits and a disinformation campaign utilizing Interpol.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Scientology Religion and its Ecclesiastical Hierarchy, Church of Scientology International.
- ^ Janet Reitman, "Inside Scientology", Rolling Stone, Issue 995. March 9, 2006. Pages 55 - 67.
- ^ Robert Vaughn Young, "Scientology from inside out", Quill magazine, Volume 81, Number 9, Nov/Dec 1993.
[edit] External links
[edit] Scientology sources
- Official website of the Religious Technology Center
- Scientology FAQs: What is Religious Technology Center?
- A Description of the Religious Technology Center (RTC)
[edit] Critical sources
- "Operation Clambake"—an archive of critical material on Scientology and the RTC
- "Marty and Warren's Excellent Adventure," an "Operation Clambake" subpage devoted to the abrupt erasure of all mention of RTC executives Rathbun and McShane in 2005
- Jesse Prince articles
- Jesse Prince affidavit
- David Mayo affidavit
