Belief in the divine creation of the world is part of the common heritage of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In all three religions, the relationship between God and the world is determined by the idea of creation. The accent here is on the difference between creator and creature, as expressed on the one hand in the doctrine of the original “creation from nothing” (Latin creatio ex nihilo) and on the other in that of God's ongoing preservation of creation (conservatio mundi). Mor…