Don Wildmon
AFA/AFR founder
October 2000 – Will society’s attacks on our children never end? Some are obvious, like the violence and filth on TV. Some of the attacks are more subtle. For instance, the recent action by General Mills. I never thought I would see the day when a major corporation in America would send a message to our children that the Bible is bad for them.
Even after seeing the dramatic rise of anti-Christian bigotry during the last two decades, I really never thought I would be writing an article like this concerning a company like General Mills. But I am. You should act, and get others to act on this information before it becomes a common and widespread practice.
General Mills had planned to attach a compact disk (CD) containing a collection of computer games and other software titles to over 12 million boxes of its cereal. Included on the CDs was an electronic version of the New International Version of the Bible. General Mills had subcontracted the production of the CDs and did not know about the inclusion of the Bible.
Later, but before the boxes hit the shelves, General Mills found out about the inclusion of the Bible software and issued an apology, calling the Bible giveaway a “mistake.”
By the way, another participant in the program – The Walt Disney Company – also found out about the Bible software and demanded that it be removed from the CDs that contained the computer version of its Who Wants To Be A Millionaire game. Disney’s anti-Christian bigotry has been well documented by your AFA.
Not only did General Mills feel it necessary to apologize for including the Bible on CD, the company has been misleading concerning its policy in such matters. “While inclusion of the Bible may be seen as added value by some, it is the company’s policy not to advance any particular set of religious beliefs,” said General Mills. “Inclusion of this material does not conform to our policy, and we apologize for this lapse.”
The response by General Mills was both hypocritical and deceitful because while the company deems the Bible harmful to children, they pay Jewish organizations for the right to label General Mills food products as “kosher.” (Many Jewish individuals look for the kosher seal to determine if the food conforms to their religion’s requirements for consumption.)
The response by General Mills was both hypocritical and deceitful. On July 25, I wrote Chairman Stephen W. Sanger about this hypocrisy. “Will you now cancel certification of your products as being kosher? If not, then your motive and message will be very clear – you don’t want the business of the millions of customers who cherish the Bible and are offended by your apology for including it on CD in your campaign,” I wrote. I asked for a response. I sent my letter to Mr. Sanger overnight via UPS. The letter was received and signed for by “Berg” on July 26. Mr. Sanger refused to respond. The most logical conclusion one can draw in this situation is that General Mills did not care that they apologized for including the Bible.
I have no problem with General Mills paying for the privilege of labeling their products as being kosher. That is perfectly acceptable. I do have a problem with General Mills justifying their apology by saying that “it is not the company’s policy to advance any particular set of religious beliefs.” If placing a CD with the Bible (Old and New Testaments) on it and giving it away to customers is “advancing” a set of religious beliefs, then how does General Mills not consider paying a religious group for the privilege of placing a symbol serving a religious purpose as “advancing” a set of religious beliefs?
There is clearly a double standard here that cannot be justified. Perhaps that is the reason Mr. Sanger refused to respond to my letter. Before other corporations adopt this “politically correct” double standard, it is imperative that we speak out. I’m asking you to do the following:
1. Pray for the management of General Mills. Ask that God change their hearts while forgiving their anti-Christian bigotry.
2. Stop buying Cheerios and encourage your friends to do the same until General Mills changes their policy to make it consistent and apologizes for their bigotry toward Christians.
3. Call General Mills at 1-800-231-0308 and tell them you are praying that they will stop their anti-Christian bigotry. Also, tell them no more Cheerios in your home until they do. Please be nice and polite when you call. The person who answers the phone has no decision-making power, so they cannot change anything. Politely ask them to pass along your concerns to the decision-makers.
And while telling our children that the Bible is bad and apologizing for including it in their cereal, General Mills considers homosexuality good. General Mills actively promotes the homosexual lifestyle in their company through a gay and lesbian employee network called “Betty’s Family.”
I hope you will do what I have asked, and ask your friends and members of your Sunday School and Church to do the same. Our children are depending on us to take a stand for them. They trust us. Please don’t let them down. 
