DARE² Keep Kids Out of Church

Dear Concerned Mother/Father,

I am a parent, just like you.  And there’s a problem of epidemic proportions assaulting our children every day.

I’m talking about religion, the most devastating cancer our country faces today.  And the most heart-breaking consequence of religious addiction is the insidious effect it has on our children. Christians tell us we should mold and shape our children to be little images of God.  But have you ever noticed how Catholics have Catholic kids and Lutherans have Lutheran kids?  It has nothing to do with “God” or any of that other bible mythology they try to “witness” to you.  Clearly it’s all propaganda, more like them trying to clone images of themselves. For how can children make an objective choice of their own when they’ve been brainwashed into thinking a piece of bread can turn into human-flesh?  If you believe that, well, you’d believe a man could walk on water.  Where does it stop?

The problem is that our children aren’t even protected within our homes.  Fortunately, TV and movies are relatively religion-free, making them safe for our kids to watch.  But there’s always those damn JWs coming around.  I don’t understand it.  If a man came to your front door trying to sell you crack, you’d call the police.  We don’t see any difference with those freaks pushing Jesus.  Let me put this another way: the average religious addict spends at least 10% of his or her income on religion, and that’s 10% after taxes!  We’re talking a multitrillion-dollar problem here.  If that doesn’t catch your attention, I don’t know what will.

A few years ago, a group of troubled parents were inspired by Nancy Reagan and her Just Say No idea that spawned into the DARE drug campaign.  These founding parents wondered why Mrs. Reagan stopped short with drugs.  That’s why DARE² was born.

DARE² Keep Kids Out of Church believes in giving kids a chance in life.  We’ve all seen the evidence, the poor teenagers suckered into a cult that turns them into sheep, takes all their money, and uses them as sex objects.  Religion just does that to people.  There’s no denying it. Even otherwise reasonably intelligent adults can find themselves trapped in a life of religious addiction.  And if that foam wafer isn’t a drug, I don’t know what is.  You have to eat it every week.  Supposedly if you miss it your soul is in danger if you die in a car accident before your next confession.  What I don’t understand is what kind of person believes that you can meet an infinite God in a cracker, never mind actually eat “Him”!

While DARE² is really about our children, we believe that the world must be safe for people of all ages.  For example, we’re already working with companies like Home Depot to expand their drug-free program to include a Religious-Free Environment to protect their employees. All new employees must undergo rigorous religious testing to see if they will endanger their coworkers with their religious tendencies.  You never know when one of the people you work with is going to break into rapture or tongues and ram you from behind with a forklift.

One group we hope to help directly is the teen and young adult sector.  Many of them are unwitting enablers.  They feed the codependent nature of their parents’ religious addiction by going to church just to make things easier.  Unfortunately, many of them don’t realize just how much of a problem their parents actually have.  They should be telling their parents to get help, not tacitly validating their behavior by not making waves. DARE² outreach programs educate these young people through a series of pamphlets describing the various signs and stages of religious addiction.  We also give them proven advice, like sticking to the truth and pointing out to their parents all of the contradictions of their petty belief systems.  Most importantly, we offer support.  Dealing with an addict in the family can be exasperating, and getting a religious parent to join a 12-Step program like JA can be more of a challenge than most of today’s already-overburdened youth are up to.

Certainly we have compassion for the addict, but that doesn’t include putting our children at risk by letting religious zealots teach in our schools and spread their life-debilitating disease while we wait for them to bottom-out on Jesus. Kids deserve a chance to grow up without all that nonsense poured into their heads before they can learn to Just Say No.  That’s why DARE² is working hard, putting together programs like a Jesus-Free zone where anyone caught talking about Jesus within 150 feet of a school faces double penalties. We also have lobbyists in Congress working hard to pass a bill to remove the tax-exempt status of churches.  There’s supposed to be a separation of church and state but the tax-exempt status of churches is merely a poorly veiled attempt by the religious movement to get the government to fund their operations. DARE²‘s ultimate goal is that when this bill passes that we’ll take the recovered tax dollars and use them to counteract all the damage these religious groups have caused.  They’re responsible for the problem; they should pay to clear it up.

What can you do?  Speak out.  Don’t let the voice of reason be trampled by your silence. The religious claim that the first amendment protects their right to actively corrupt our children.  If that’s so, then our right to protect our children by shouting the hypocrites down is protected as well.  And it is critical that each one of us is louder, stronger, and more convincing than them if we want to keep our country from falling apart.  Stand strong.  Once a fanatic suggested that I give Jesus a chance before I condemn him.  I don’t have to go into a church to know it’s all brain-rotten propaganda spouted from money-grubbing and power-lusting priests who want to control my life.  And anyway, Nancy Reagan never had to smoke a joint or drop a tab of acid to know that doing so would have irrevocably destroyed her life.

Remember, DARE² is more than just talk.  It’s about taking effective action.  Join today by either sending your tax-deductible donation or write for more information on how to start your own DARE² chapter.

Children.  They’re our future. DARE² protect them at all costs.

DARE² Keep Kids Out of Church.

Nicholas Cravotta

President, Berkeley DARE² Chapter

“Proud parent.  Responsible citizen.”

Illustration 1:

Bumper Sticker with “DARE² Keep Kids Out of Church” using DARE logo

Illustration 2:

Two panel picture:

1)       Picture of open book.  Caption: This is your brain.

2)       Book slammed closed by a hand.  Caption: This is your brain on religion.