There's religion… and then there's RELIGION. Raiders tends to use all-caps when referring to its theology, seeing as how it ends with an actual deity doing actual smiting of people who richly deserve it. The undeniable nature of that, the fact that you can't explain it away as Aurora Borealis or something, comes smack dab against the hard science of Indy's background. Here's a guy who wants to understand the mystery: to find out where these things are and show them to the whole world. You can't do that with the Ark because its power defies understanding. Indy survives only because he comes to realize it. And good thing too, because how cranky would the audience be if his face melted off at the end?
Questions about Religion
- At what point does Indy start to believe in the power of the Ark? Why that point specifically?
- In what ways does the Ark signify its power? What purpose do those manifestations serve in the story?
- Could a human being ever harness the power of the Ark? What would that require?
- Why does the U.S. government hide the Ark away? What do they gain from such an action? What do they lose?
Chew on This
Indy's protected from the Ark because he believes in its power and respects it.
Indy doesn't respect it much. Only keeping his eyes closed prevents Indy from being burned up with the Nazis.