For many of us the mountains have mixed messages. When I took the picture on our cover I did so because of its beauty, but I have also used the picture in my classroom to show students the peculiar form of diastrophism that shaped the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. Those of us who believe that science and faith should be viewed as being friends of one another instead of enemies find mountains to be of special interest. As a geologist and as a student of the Bible, I find a great many misunderstandings exist on the part of believers in God and their opponents. What we would like to do in this discussion is to look at some of these misunderstandings and attempt to show why they should not be allowed to be irritants in the comparisons of science and faith.
Mountains are difficult to understand.
Many people view mountains as being mysteries. This is natural because of their unique size. If you have driven across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and eastern Colorado, you have to be somewhat amazed at your first view of the Rockies. Ancient people looked with amazement at the huge volcanoes that they saw and even imagined gods to be in control of them. The fact is that most mountains are easy to understand.