 Some of the book's more unorthodox teachings within the context of Christianity include a positive view of the fall of Man, the idea that some indigenous Americans were descendants of the Israelites, and the idea that the Americas were a chosen continent reserved only for the righteous.The Book of Mormon also taught of an institutional church administered by elders, priests, and teachers, and these offices were included as part of the Church of Christ he founded in 1830.The book further spoke of a high priesthood to which certain people were pre-ordained before birth because of their extraordinary faith and righteousness, and Smith introduced such a high priesthood in 1831.