I would agree with “at least some evidence,” but I also said, “very strong reasons indeed.”
Basically, we already have good evidence for this: “In many cases, some event appears to have meaningful evidence of a supernatural origin, but in fact it had natural historical causes.” Thus, unless you happen to be a Mormon, you probably believe that Joseph Smith’s religion had basically natural historical causes, despite the testimony of his witnesses that they saw the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated (which presumably he would have a hard time coming up with naturally.) So there is some evidence of a supernatural origin there, but most people don’t think it had a supernatural origin anyway. The corresponding behavior in other cases would be to ask for pretty strong evidence (not just some) before you accept a claim like that.
As it happens, I am not a Mormon and I know virtually nothing about Joseph Smith. I shall simply class this whole golden plates business (about which I know nothing more than what you put in your comment) as “unknown, unclassified” until such time as I find out more. I would move it to neither the “natural historical causes” category nor the “divine causes” category until such time as I have sufficient evidence that suggests which category it should be in.
...you and I probably have different thresholds for “sufficient evidence”.
I would agree with “at least some evidence,” but I also said, “very strong reasons indeed.”
Basically, we already have good evidence for this: “In many cases, some event appears to have meaningful evidence of a supernatural origin, but in fact it had natural historical causes.” Thus, unless you happen to be a Mormon, you probably believe that Joseph Smith’s religion had basically natural historical causes, despite the testimony of his witnesses that they saw the golden plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated (which presumably he would have a hard time coming up with naturally.) So there is some evidence of a supernatural origin there, but most people don’t think it had a supernatural origin anyway. The corresponding behavior in other cases would be to ask for pretty strong evidence (not just some) before you accept a claim like that.
As it happens, I am not a Mormon and I know virtually nothing about Joseph Smith. I shall simply class this whole golden plates business (about which I know nothing more than what you put in your comment) as “unknown, unclassified” until such time as I find out more. I would move it to neither the “natural historical causes” category nor the “divine causes” category until such time as I have sufficient evidence that suggests which category it should be in.
...you and I probably have different thresholds for “sufficient evidence”.