God and Morality: Separate Issues

[DeistPaladin]

Please do, because I have no idea who Theologica37 is and seriously doubt he constitutes what you and I would consider an apologist (e.g., Norman Geisler). My library has a significant collection so there is a good chance I'll be familiar with your academic references.

My experience has been that the amateur apologist is every bit as "skilled" as the professional apologist, since there really is no skill involved. It's not like a real academic pursuit where there's anything to know. It's just a matter of finding some canned arguments that have been recycled for centuries, skillfully using logical fallacies and mental slight of hand, bandy around a few philosophy terms and you can spew as well as Habermas, Craig, McDowell or any other.

Can we agree that anyone, academic or layman, who does make such a claim ["We know God is good because God is good"] is using circular reasoning, as I have explained?

Certainly.

Excellent so we agree that #3 is not a valid argument then. Since it sounds like you would not use that argument yourself, then I'm curious as to what argument you would use.

And can we agree that it is an epistemological claim, which is categorically distinguished from metaphysical ones? Discussing the nature of morality falls under the latter, while 'how we know' falls under the former. Our discussion will not get anywhere useful if we conflate distinct categories.

Actually, these fields are closely connected, as the dictionary.com site itself says.

met·a·phys·ics
   /ˌmɛtəˈfɪzɪks/ Show Spelled[met-uh-fiz-iks] Show IPA
–noun ( used with a singular verb )
1.
the branch of philosophy that treats of first principles, includes ontology and cosmology, and is intimately connected with epistemology.

One is what you are claiming about the nature of morality and the other is how you know it. Again, we're back to the topic of:
"A is true"
"what do you mean by that and how do you know?"
"I don't have to explain."

I know that is what this thread is about. That's why your statement was question-begging. You can do that if you like, of course, but I will call you out on it.

Fine, and, as I did, I will call you out on your failure to elaborate. What do you mean by "begging the question"? What is your position? How do you relate the two topics of morality and God's existence? Do tell.

Or are you content to just throw out an accusation with no explanation?