^^Ditto. God allows imperfection in an imperfect world, but that doesn't necessarily mean He causes it. Mental illness can stem from chemical imbalances, neurological trauma, emotional trauma, etc. To simply chalk it up to being "caused" by God perpetuates the stigma of mental illness and prevents people from getting the help they need. My husband is being treated for severe depression; as a minister he is very cautious about who he opens up to about it because of the stigma that he must be "punished" by God or has demons or something, compounded by the other stigma of choosing to treat his depression holistically. Christianity is about having faith in Him and continuing to follow Him, in spite of the difficulties and trials in this life; if everything were all rainbows and sunshine, faith wouldn't be necessary.