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Dennet

Daniel Dennet is a naturalist, secularist who proposes a mechanism for a naturalistic explanation of religion which he readily admits is "just a theory." These explanations are forced due to a prior commitment to naturalism and are not scientifically backed. The claim that only matter exists forces material explanations of religious beliefs and experiences and while presented as such, these material explanations do not actually explain away belief in God, since presenting a naturalistic explanation of the acquisition of a belief is not the same as demonstrating the truth or falsity of the belief so acquired. As such Dennet, who develops this argument in his books, is another question beggar. "Naturalism is true. Theism is false. Now (because of this prior assertion) let me explain how and why belief in God came about." This is the reality of his position. But he presents it as, "This is the mechanism through which belief in God came about. Therefore God does not exist." The rational and logical fallacy in this is evident as a mechanism of belief-formation does not determine the truth or falsehood of the belief so formed, rather that has to be demonstrated on separate and independent grounds which Dennet and co-atheists cannot do without question-begging.