General Mills apologizes in advance of Bible software reaching consumers

DETROIT (AP) -- Cereal maker General Mills has issued an apology for software versions of the Bible headed to store shelves nationwide in about 12 million boxes of the company's cereal.

The Bible appears on CDROMs also featuring the CD games Clue, Carmen Sandiego Word Detective, Lego Creator and Amazon Trail. In a statement Friday, the Golden Valley-based company said the Bible was slipped onto the CDROM "without our knowledge or consent."

In a statement issued by General Mills, the company said that "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. Inclusion of this material does not conform to our policy, and we apologize for this lapse."

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Zondervan Publishing had given free licenses for the 12 million to 13 million software copies of its New International Version of the Bible, and had prepared to promote the effort.