Rather than search for specific doctrines or ideas linking the Book of Mormon to Joseph and early Mormonism, we are better advised, I believe, to consider the Book of Mormon in its broadest outlines. We should look for connections at a slightly higher level of abstraction. It is important to recognize that the Book of Mormon was more than a patchwork of theological assertions, or a miscellany of statements about the Indians, like Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews. We may miss the point if we treat the Book of Mormon as if it were a kind of hodgepodge. Some critics employ a proof text method in their analyses, taking passages out of context to prove a point. They pick out passages sounding like Masonry or republican ideology or evangelical preaching and link them to Joseph Smith’s culture. While that kind of analysis may have its uses, it has had disappointing results. The danger is that we will lose sight of the larger world which the book evokes.