Something "esque"
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Posted:Dec 30, 2007 6:15 am
Last Updated:Oct 5, 2024 3:14 am 1792 Views
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In response to a letter-writer's question concerning James Dobson's views on salvation and Christ's second coming, Dobson responded in October 1989 that his ministry had made a deliberate decision to direct the attention of the ministry "away from matters of biblical interpretation and theology, choosing instead to concentrate our efforts exclusively on family-related topics."
[FOTF answered similarly in 6/97 when asked Dobson's views on evolution -- "He has chosen to direct his efforts toward the strengthening of traditional values and the institution of the family rather than to discuss controversial theological topics" (Grey Gunn, FOTF letter on file).]
This further affirms critic's claims that Dobson's ministry is not only not Biblically based, but in fact there is a deliberate effort to turn away from the Bible and get wisdom from somewhere else. Dobson is in effect saying, 'I'm no theologian, so don't nail me with this Biblical stuff; I'm giving you what works.'
"However, such a decision does not free an avowed Christian ministry to the family from basing its teachings on Scripture.
It is an admission to placing the Bible in a secondary position to the psychological wisdom of men.
Apparently Dobson does not agree that the Bible is sufficient for understanding human nature and guiding behavior" (Prophets of PsychoHeresy II, p. 146). [Notwithstanding Dobson's theological disclaimer, he does have a theology: "... he teaches a doctrine of man which is both psychological and theological ... man
[according to Dobson] is central and God serves to help people overcome inferiority and develop self-esteem and self-acceptance" (Prophets II, p. 142).
~Bible Discernment Ministries
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Dobsonology
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Posted:Dec 30, 2007 6:04 am
Last Updated:Dec 31, 2007 6:02 am 1944 Views
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One former employee of Focus on the Family has coined the term "Dobsonology":
"Dobsonology is a mixture of psychology, humanism, New Age, political activism and ecumenism packed in a silver box of morality; it is tied with a golden ribbon of assorted Scriptures -- not necessarily in context. It is being sold to the Christian Community in lieu of Biblical authority through sound doctrine by James Dobson and his Focus On The Family Organization."
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Constitution is not a Living Organism
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Posted:Dec 29, 2007 7:01 am
Last Updated:Dec 30, 2007 6:41 am 2244 Views
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Constitution is not a Living Organism Scalia: 'Constitution Not Living Organism' Carl Limbacher
The Constitution is not a "living" document that changes with the times U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia says, but is to be interpreted on what the Founding Fathers meant at the time they drafted the Constitution.
"The Constitution is not a living organism," Scalia insisted.
Taking a position at odds with current opinion that holds that the Constitution changes in order to meet the needs of a changing society and thus acts as a "living document" that allows for flexible interpretations, Scalia says he takes what he called the "Originalist" point of view.
"Originalism was the dominant philosophy until 50 years ago," said Scalia. He repeatedly challenged the "living constitution" doctrine held by most law students and professors.
"Most people think the battle is conservative versus liberals when it's actually originalists versus living constitutionalists," Scalia said.
Scalia said he reads the text of the Constitution in a literal manner, a method in which the "plain and ordinary meaning" of the text guides interpretation. "Words mean what they mean."
"My system is flexible," he added, and went on to cite examples of his flexibility. "If you want the death penalty, pass a law ... if you want abortion, pass a law ... if you want something, persuade other citizens and pass a law," he said, by implication taking issue with activist judges who use the bench to create new laws.
Scalia said he does not foresee an immediate change from the active judiciary created by the living constitution approach, because, "It's a lot more fun to talk policy than to talk texts, and it puts more power in the hands of judges. "
The living document controversy is not the only issue dividing Scalia from his colleagues - he has disagreed with his fellow justices in the matter of the court basing decisions on foreign law.
As Newsmax reported, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said that as a justice she considers foreign laws ‒ not just U.S. laws and its Constitution - in forming her legal opinions. Ginsburg said criticisms of relying too heavily on world opinion "should not lead us to abandon the effort to learn what we can from the experience and good thinking foreign sources may convey."
She also came down on the side of the living constitution position, telling members of the 99 year-old American Society of International Law in Washington, D.C. that "The notion that it is improper to look beyond the borders of the United States in grappling with hard questions has a certain kinship to the view that the U.S. Constitution is a document essentially frozen in time as of the date of its ratification."
In 2003, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor openly stated that the court should look abroad for judicial guidance, saying "The impressions we create in this world are important, and they can leave their mark."
O'Connor indicated she and the High Court had been influenced in recent rulings, citing foreign laws as having helped the Court rule that executing mentally retarded individuals as illegal. She also said the Court relied on European Court decisions when it struck down Texas's law outlawing sodomy or sex between adults of the same gender.
This drew a sharp rebuke from Scalia who wrote: "The court's discussion of these foreign views (ignoring, of course, the many countries that have retained criminal prohibitions on sodomy) is ... meaningless dicta. Dangerous dicta, however, since this court ... should not impose foreign moods, fads, or fashions on Americans." he said.
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My Opinion: Judges who think that the constitution is a "living document" or who rely on foreign laws should be impeached as they are breaking their oath of office (they take an oath to defend the constitution). If US citizens think part of the constitution is no longer valid there is a way to democratically amend it. That power rests with the people and should not be arrogantly taken over by judges
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Can Good things damn you eternally?
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Posted:Dec 28, 2007 4:40 am
Last Updated:Jan 19, 2008 8:47 am 2036 Views
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I have 2 friends, Sheila and Viena. Sisters from the Philipines. Their father had been a lifetime Alcoholic and done many bad things to their mom and squandered their finances on many occasions.
Then a long comes the mormons. They help him get off of alcohol and he becomes a mormon. The Jesus Christ of mormonism is not the Christ of the Christian Bible.
These girls deny Christianity because of the good that the mormon religion did in their home. So, outside of a miracle, they will die in their sin.
So, this is one instance of many that where something good happening can deter a person from ever receiving Jesus Christ.
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Q & A
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Posted:Dec 27, 2007 4:43 am
Last Updated:Dec 27, 2007 4:58 pm 1765 Views
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Question:
At the moment, my major is psychology. I really started doubting the teachings of psychology because it seemed to contradict my faith as a Christian. My first thoughts was to be patient because I may be feeling this because of my lack of knowledge and understanding. But the more I learn the more I feel psychology is decieving. So I started to do research and I came across your website. By the way, I am looking forward to getting your book and reading it.
However, I am 3 semesters away from graduating with my B.A. in psychology and I am not sure if I should even continue in this major. I have to do an internship soon and I am thinking about attending a faith based ministry. Is it wrong for Christians to get certified in counseling or their LPC for state requirements reasons? Or should we as Christians totally shun this? I'm a little confused right now and in the need for some Godly wisdom.
Answer:
Thank you for your email. That's wonderful that you are sensitive to the Holy Spirit in this area. You're feeling in your spirit that something just isn't right about psychology - that's the Lord! Listen and heed it - it's Him warning you and giving you discernment.
Now that you know psychology is not godly or biblical, the question is, what now?
Before we share our opinions/knowledge, know that God has a plan for each person's life. One person may leave the field, another may stay and be a light to those in darkness. We don't know God's plan for you, but we do know you're listening and we're sure He will be faithful to guide you as you seek His direction.
Getting licensure requires you to prove your knowledge of psychological theory to the testing board. You need to tell them how you would treat someone and what theories you would use. If you mention the Bible or biblical concepts like sin and repentance, you will almost always fail the exam (psychology views biblical Christians as delusional if they hear the voice of God, for example). So you'll have to tell them what they want to hear to pass.
Once licensed, the licensing board will look down on you and potentially take away your license to practice if they find you are making judgments on people's lifestyles and "pushing the Bible." You basically have to go where the wants to go. If they don't want to hear the Bible, you need to revert to psychology, which is a bad route to take for both you and the .
You also need to take continuing education units (CEUs) to keep your license. These CEUs are classes that push psychological theory and shun the Bible, further eroding your faith in the sufficiency of God's Word to care for souls.
Having said all this, we have met Christians in the industry who are breaking all the rules, but by God's grace are still practicing. But one got his license taken away for discussing demon possession, and consequently moved to another more liberal state to practice his Christian counseling.
Another option to opening your own practice is to align yourself with Christian counseling organizations that explicitly shun psychology and drugs. One of the best ones we know of is IABC )and these counselors operate out of their respective churches.
Although some organizations offer certification, we don't believe certification is necessary to do biblical counseling (see chapter 12 of our book). Every Christian should do biblical counseling - it's called discipleship of other believers... the Great Commission. We believe God never meant for Christian counseling to be a career choice that requires business income to function. Counseling should be a free-of-charge ministry in the church for all who need God's wisdom from another person (Matt. 10:.
Since you've almost wrapped up your degree, our advice would be to stick with it and get the degree. God may use the degree to open doors in other areas where He wants you to go.
If the faith based ministry you mention explicitly shuns psychology and drugs, by all means investigate them to see if you can provide purely biblical counseling to others through their organization. But if they "integrate" psychology with the Bible, or they encourage psychiatric drugs, we would recommend not being a part of the organization. It's the equivalent of adding a few drops of cyanide poison to a pure glass of water. No one would ever drink that and live, but Christians are drinking Christian psychology and dying spiritually because of it.
We hope all this info helps! Let us know if you have any other questions. May God direct and bless all that you do in His name!
Lisa and Ryan Bazler
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1957 vs 2007
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Posted:Dec 27, 2007 4:34 am
Last Updated:Oct 5, 2024 3:14 am 1771 Views
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Scenario: Jack goes quail hunting before school, pulls into school parking lot with shotgun in gun rack. 1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fistfight after school. 1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again. 2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. Tested for ADD. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman. 2007 - Billy's dad is arrested for abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. State psychologist tells Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school .
1957 - Mark shares aspirin with Principal out on the smoking dock. 2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English. 1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college . 2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die. 2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing. 2007 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy.
Author unknown
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Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family
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Posted:Dec 27, 2007 4:21 am
Last Updated:Jan 6, 2008 4:42 am 2045 Views
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Excerpted from Little Known Facts About Focus on the Family & QUEST INTERNATIONAL
By Dr. Cathy Burns OCCULT TECHNIQUES ENDORSED
Quest also utilizes the techniques of visualization and guided imagery 132 . One of the earlier Quest editions had an exercise called "Elevator." Teachers are to "establish a quiet, contemplative mood." Teachers then tell students 'you are in an elevator.' Each Each button in the elevator represents an age. When students push a button, the elevator will take them back to experiences they had at that age. 'Be sensitive to those who may have stopped on an unpleasant floor,' the book tells teachers. 133
Does this occult practice disturb Dobson? Of course not! He just stated that these techniques could be "a risky practice in the absence of professionally trained leadership." In other words, if these techniques are used by professionals, they are okay. 134 He further added: "I hope you understand that I'm not condemning Quest. I'm sure there are many schools and classrooms in which it's being put to good use." 135
We've already seen where Dobson claims that several prominent Christian psychologist have had a part in the Quest literature. Also, in his October 27, 1981, letter to Rick Little at Quest International, he said:
"I know you love the Lord and are trying to serve him. I have never questioned your motives and consider you to be a trusted Christian friend. I'm sure that Quest is doing some good... However, I believe you made one fundamental error, and that was bringing professional into your organization who do not share your Christian faith. That put us all in bed with the enemy, so to speak, and helped to undermine your very noble and Christian purposes." 136
I don't know which individuals Dobson thinks are Christians, but he is incorrect to infer that non-Christian professionals were brought in later. According to a paper from the Sagamore Institute, we find this out about the Quest program: "This nationally acclaimed, research-tested program is sponsored and administered by The Quest International Center of Columbus, Ohio and was originally written by Sagamore Institute's Howard Kirschenbaum and Barbara Glaser." 137
Humanists Wrote Quest
Glaser is Kirschenbaum's wife and both are well-known humanists and they were the original writers of this program! 138 Kirschenbaum is Director of the National Humanistic Education Center (NHEC). Before its reorganization in 1973, the NHEC was originally called Adirondack Mountain Humanist Center. In 1980 the name once again was changed to Sagamore Institute. 139 Also in 1980:
"The National Coalition for Democracy in Education [was] founded, comprised of individuals and organizations who support the right to teach humanistic education in schools, educating the 'whole student.' It opposes interference by state legislatures or school boards in teaching of evolution, and it opposes censorship of books in school libraries... The Executive Director is Howard Kirschenbaum." 140
"One of the books he has coauthored is Values Clarification: A Handbook of Practical Strategies for Teachers and Students. In fact, the annotated bibliography and resources list at the end of Unit 1 of Skills for Living lists Kirschenbaum's Values Clarification book and specifically identifies it as the source for the 'group interview,' 'rank ordering,' 'voting continuum,' and 'other activities used throughout this course.'" 141
We've already briefly looked at the origins of values clarification, yet the Quest program is based on values clarification and humanism. "According to the Encyclopedia Associations, the Quest National Center promotes 'Humanistic Education' in our schools." 142 Some of the authors listed in the suggested reading material (for the Skills for Living program) include Sidney Simon (who doesn't believe in right and wrong), Carl Rogers, Rudolf Dreikurs, Thomas Gordon, and Leland Howe. Each one of the above authors is a humanist! Additionally, over 65% of the books listed can be obtained from the National Humanistic Education Center, again showing the humanistic bias of the Quest program.
The Lions Club is in a joint venture with the Quest program. This association seems to make the Quest program more acceptable. However, we are told: "'Service clubs such as the Lions sponsor sterilization camps that reportedly do 900 operations a week' in Kenya." 143 Sounds like a real "compassionate" organization, doesn't it?
"Despite the controversy that surrounds him, Little says he has no regrets about creating Quest. "If I were to do it over again [says Little]... I'd probably end up doing it pretty much the same.'" 144
Knowing what is involved in the Quest program, do you think Rick Little is a Christian as Dobson claims he is?
Another Contradiction
Dobson claims that he does not endorse or condemn the Quest program. However, as just stated above, he clearly said that he is "not condemning Quest." 145 Listen also to the words of Tom Minnery, Vice President of Public Policy for Focus on the Family: "Our research on Quest revealed a broader concern: Even the best curricula can be mistaught, but if parents aren't vigilant, how will they know?" 146 Did you catch the insinuation that Quest is a good (perhaps even the best) program but the teachers are the ones who are misuing it? Never mind that humanists were behind it from the beginning. Never mind that humanistic values are stressed. Just blame the teachers for making a good program into ab bad one. It is true that the teachers can introduce their own values into a course, but they still use the material as a guideline--and that's where a big problem comes in--because the Quest material itself is not only tainted with humanism but it is actually immersed in it! In spite of this, FOTF seems to thing it's a great program.
Dobson's argument that he is not endorsing Quest because of how some local teachers can misuse it is an extremely lame excuse. Are we to say we cannot endorse the Bible because some people misinterpret it?
Furthermore, in the Focus on the Family magazine, Teachers in Focus, we find some interesting information. In the March 1995 issue there were several groups mentioned as "Violence Prevention Resources." One of the groups listed was STARS (Students Taking a Right Stand). 147 I wrote to this organization and was quite surprised to find that they actually are selling materials from Quest International. Oh, and they also sell a number of videos produced by Focus on the Family such as Sex, Lies and...the Truth, Adventures in Odyssey and McGee and Me! among others. 148 I thing it should be obvious that FOTF actually does promote the Quest material--even if it is in a round-about way.
Quest International is also "a charter member of the Character Education Partnership [CEP]..." 149 Two of the people on the CEP Advisory Council are Zbigniew Brzezinski and Jesse L. Jackson. 150 Brzezinski was "the first director of the Trilateral Commission..." 151 He was also one of the speakers at the State of the World Forum (September 27 to October 1, 1995) which was chaired by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. "Brzezinski warned against 'parochial fundamentalism' and 'narrow cults, ethnicity, national or religious passion.' And he said, 'We cannot leap into world government through one quick step. A consensual global system requires a process.'" 152 "Over 20 years ago he declared in his book Between the Ages that 'national sovereignty is no longer a viable concept.'" 153 Also in this book:
"...he explained his view 'Marxism is simultaneously a victory of the external, active man over the inner, passive man and a victory of reason over belief... [and] the fiction of [national] sovereignty...is clearly no longer compatible with reality... [but] a [world community] cannot be achieved by fusing existing states into on larger entity... It makes much more sense to attempt to associate existing sates through a variety of indirect ties and already developing limitations on national sovereignty.'" 154 [Emphasis in the original]
Brzezinski also called for a new international monetary system. 155
Another member of the CEP is the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) 156 which is a division of the National Education Association. 157 The ASCD is also an affiliated organization with Kirschenbaum's National Coalition for Democracy in Education (NCDE). Other affiliated organizations are the humanistic Sagamore Institute, Association for Humanistic Education, Association for Humanistic Education and Development, Connecticut Teacher Centers for Humanistic Education, North Carolina Humanistic Education Association, and the N.W. Ohio Humanistic Education Association. Did you notice how humanistic this group is? One of the NCDE's sponsors just happens to be the well-known New Ager, Marilyn Ferguson! These are the type of groups and people Dobson is associated with time and time again.
In ASCD's 1962 yearbook, Perceiving, Behaving, Becoming, we find : "'We need to de-emphasize tradition and the past... Educators can no longer afford to deplore and resist change. Too many teachers are still insisting that things must be done the 'right way.'" 158 At ASCD's 44th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show (held March 11-14, 1989) the theme was "Educating Global Citizens: Illuminating the Issues." Some of the speakers were Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dee Dickinson, Shirley McCune, and Jean Houston. 159 ASCD's 49th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show (March 1994) also had some interesting speakers. Of course, there was Howard Kirschenbaum, William Spady (father of outcome-based education), Gordon Cawelti, etc. Other speakers were Robert Simonds of Citizens for Excellence in Education and Amy Stephens from...Focus on the Family! The talk was "Religious Conservatives and Public Schools: Can We Find Common Ground?" 160 How can Christians find "common ground" with humanists who are agnostics and atheists? (By the way, Dobson had Amy Stephens on his November 17, 1995 Focus on the Family program.) Incidentally, anther member of the Character Education Partnership is Focus on the Family! The connections between FOTF and the humanistic education and the New Age go on and on and on. There really seems to be no end to it.
As I've stated several times, there's so much that could be said about Focus on the Family. I didn't begin to cover all the material I have, but I believe enough has been said to show you that there's a double standard lurking behind the "Christian" facade of FOTF. "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness" (II Peter 3:17).
Dr. Cathy Burns
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Antipsychotic drug manufacturers in hot water as litigation skyrockets:
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Posted:Dec 26, 2007 5:59 pm
Last Updated:Oct 5, 2024 3:14 am 1653 Views
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Antipsychotic drug manufacturers in hot water as litigation skyrockets:
Many state and federal governments Eli are suing antipsychotic drug manufacturers, including Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, for not disclosing the risks of their drugs
used in state- and federal-run programs (schools, prisons, foster cares, Medicare/Medicaid, etc.). This web page lists the many state and federal lawsuits filed just in the last few months. (psychsearch.n, April 2007)
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FDA orders suicide/homicide warnings for 18-24 yr-olds on SSRI antidepressants:
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Posted:Dec 26, 2007 5:57 pm
Last Updated:Dec 26, 2007 6:12 pm 1802 Views
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FDA orders suicide/homicide warnings for 18-24 yr-olds on SSRI antidepressants: As the killings and suicides continue at dozens per day, the drug-company-funded FDA has quietly asked SSRI drug manufacturers to extend their black box suicide/homicide warning label to apply to 18-24 year olds in addition to and teens, even though older populations also show increased risk.
This comes almost 6 months after the FDA Advisory Board recommendation and 2 years after the first FDA black box order for and teens. (Countercurrents.o, May 2007)
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