The elephant’s not the problem
Ross Gittins, economics writer for the Sydney Morning Herald, writes an opinion piece, here, in which he talks about how our brains can be compared to a person riding an elephant. The person riding the elephant has some idea what they want to do and where they want their beastie to go, but the elephant is difficult to bring 'round to the rider's point of view. In the same way, evolution has left us with a brain (and a body) that will sometimes override our best plans and intentions.
At least he recognizes in the article that we are not necessarily rational beings, but in so doing he still ignores that other elephant in the room—sin. St Paul blamed his own fallen nature for the fact that “I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Rom 7:25).
The SMH letters editor committed my response to the metaphorical flames, but through the miracle of CHN, it rises from the ashes for your perusal:
Dear editor,
Ross Gittins provides all sorts of reasons why our elephantine body might trample on the resolutions feebly dictated by our mind, riding precariously up top of this primitive beast. It might be unfashionable to suggest this, but what about ‘sin’?
Yours sincerely,
The Rev Gordon Cheng