How does religion explain birth defects?

[WiiRHim]

I don't have children, but I do have a dog and she does the 'wrong thing' all the time. I do correct her, distract her, refocus her attention, becoming annoyingly repetitive with her, but I see no need to punish her. If my demands are reasonable and my approach sensible, she will obey, if they are not, then she will not, and I don't begrudge her this. I'm more patient with her than I am with anyone else, because she is the closest thing I do have to a child, and while, especially during early puppy-hood she frustrated me to no end and I occasionally fantasized about beating her over the head with a mallet... I controlled myself, and I have bipolar disorder. Why could God not do so?

For starters, a dog is not comparable to a child. If you every have a child you will better understand.

Secondly, you all seem to think that God is just this big, unfair dietitian who is damming all who don't follow His insane rules. If you murder someone, what happens? If you are found guilty, you get the consequences. The judge doesn't just go "oh, it's ok, we'll just let you go". You go to prison. God actually has held back, because he loves us. We ALL deserve eternal damnation, because we are all sinful. God could destroy us all because we have turned away from Him, and have sinned. He would be totally justified in doing that. But he hasn't. He has given us a way to become right with Him, though Jesus. You say that He is unjust in allowing children to be born with disfigurements. If those children accept Jesus' free gift of salvation, they when they go to heaven they will have a perfect body.

@ Jaysyn: Christians DON't have the absolute truth on everything. We still wonder, marvel at, and explore the world and universe. There is much we can learn, and find out. We do however, have the absolute truth about Salvation. Everything else will just lead you down the broad path that leads to destruction. It isn't God being unjust when you will go to Hell when you die. He has given everyone the opportunity to choose eternal life with Him. It is your choice, He won't make it for you. One day everyone will bow before Him and acknowledge Him as Lord. If you don't choose to take His free gift, then you are choosing Hell. But you DO have a choice.