created

Poss   Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:32 pm GMT
"When God created the creation,..."
Can you think of another verb beside 'created' or does it sound fine in this sentence?
Pedro   Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:47 pm GMT
Willed
St. Louisan   Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:05 am GMT
Maybe "formed" or "shaped"? Perhaps you could find a substitute for "the creation" instead.
Steak 'n' Chips   Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:19 am GMT
Perhaps replace created with "built" or "crafted" or simply "made".

Or maybe swap creation with "universe" or "world" or "everything" or "all things"?

cheers!
Uriel   Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:59 am GMT
"When God willed the creation into existence..."

I think we would normally say, "When God willed Creation into existence". "Creation" (and it's up to you if you want to capitalize it and make it into a proper noun, but it is pretty common to do so in a religious context) acts like "liberty" or "history" or other intangibles in having no "the" in front of it.

When such an intangible becomes specific to a certain use, it DOES take on a "the", as in "the history of Peru" or "Roman soldiers did not have the liberty to marry as they wished", or "the creation of a good dessert". But when it is an abstract idea, it stands alone, as if it were a person's name.
Timothy   Fri Jan 08, 2010 11:36 am GMT
It would be much simpler and smoother to change "the creation."

"When God created the universe." "When God created the earth." etc.
atsamo   Sat Jan 09, 2010 11:51 am GMT
"When God created the creation,..."
Can you think of another verb beside 'created' or does it sound fine in this sentence?

No, it doesn't sound fine, it's a pleonasm.

What about this:

"When God's creation came into existence,..."
Uriel   Sat Jan 09, 2010 9:04 pm GMT
No, that uses the passive voice, as if the creation just sort of happened on its own. By using the active verb (created, willed, or whatever), you explicitly identify a cause and effect. It changes the whole flavor of the sentence to switch "God" from the subject acting upon an object (creation) to simply an adjective (God's) describing a new subject (the creation).

I'm not saying you're in any way grammatically wrong, atsamo; I'm just pointing out that the whole focus of the sentence changes drastically in your example.
Poss   Sat Jan 09, 2010 11:28 pm GMT
>>No, that uses the passive voice, as if the creation just sort of happened on its own. <<
My thought exactly when I first read it.
atsamo   Sun Jan 10, 2010 8:35 pm GMT
Right, it's passive, then back to the active voice:

"When God founded the creation..."

The problem of how to nicely substitute other verbs for "to create" seems to be a little bit tricky. And there are not so many verbs to choose from. Maybe one has to create a neologism for that, thus being involved..., er... in creation.
Timothy   Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:56 am GMT
Why are we still talking about this? As I said before:

It would be much simpler and smoother to change "the creation."

"When God created the universe." "When God created the earth." etc.

What more needs to be said? Every other option presented sounds clunky or contrived.
atsamo   Mon Jan 11, 2010 3:49 pm GMT
"Why are we still talking about this? As I said before:

It would be much simpler and smoother to change "the creation."

"When God created the universe." "When God created the earth." etc.

What more needs to be said? Every other option presented sounds clunky or contrived."

But the original question is about the verb, isn't it?

We are supposed to invent a verb, however clunky or contrived it is.
As I understand it is to be a verb-exercise not a noun-one.
Timothy   Tue Jan 12, 2010 2:26 pm GMT
Hmmm...

Is it an exercise? I thought it was just someone asking for help.

If it's an exercise, then I retract what I said. But I think it's just someone asking for help.