from http://skepdic.com/begging.html: Begging the question is what one does in an argument when one assumes what one claims to be proving. An argument is a form of reasoning whereby one gives a reason or reasons in support of some claim. The reasons are called premises and the claim one tries to support with them is called the conclusion. If one's premises entail one's conclusion, and one's premises are questionable, one is said to beg the question. The following argument begs the question. We know God exists because we can see the perfect order of His Creation, an order which demonstrates supernatural intelligence in its design. The conclusion of this argument is that God exists. The premise assumes a Creator and Designer of the universe exists, i.e., that God exists. In this argument, the arguer should not be granted the assumption that the universe exhibits intelligent design, but should be made to provide support for that claim. "Begging the question" does *not* mean asking for an answer!

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