re: #56 Lee Coller

“compassionate and merciful” are standard Christian descriptions of God, commonly used in prayer.

Yes, they are. But, and let’s just be clear here, if someone says, “G-d the most merciful, the most compassionate,” chances are better than even money that he or she is quoting Islamic prayer or scripture.

Of course Christians describe the L-rd this way; not to make light of it, but that is rather the point of the whole of Christian theology, which itself arose out of Judaism. Even as Christians do not deny the unity of the Divine, but have incorporated it into their Christology and theology, if a person prays, “Hear, the L-rd is One,” the first thought going through the hearer’s mind is probably not, “I’ll bet that’s a Christian praying.”

No, the Sh’ma (paraphrased above and cribbed by Islam), is distinctly Jewish in origin and carries, accordingly, a Jewish “tone”. I’d argue that “the merciful, the compassionate,” because of use and association, carries a Muslim tone.