THE NOTION THAT the world was created in six days has, for a long time now, been understood as a metaphor. The science is clear that creation takes a very long time, measured in eons and epochs — but creation is no less wonderful for that, nor any less God-tinged. We just need to underscore patience as one of God’s attributes.
But this understanding sometimes makes us think everything happens slowly, and that’s not the case. It turns out we can de-create things in the geological blink of an eye. A nuclear exchange — the milliseconds as an atomic reaction goes critical — is the most obvious example, but the climate crisis is in second place. And since we can (thanks to the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) picture the horror of nuclear weapons, we’ve since held off; not so much with the billion daily fires that add up to global heating.
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