Do you really think that “The central dramatic question of RAIDERS is, 'Must you kneel before God?'” If you mean that it is a thematic question, I'm not gonna argue with you, although I think that is an exaggeration as well. But to use the word “dramatic” implies that this is where the drama is, that it drives the story. Has anyone in the past 30 or so years since this movie was released sat there on the edge of their seat thinking “Oh, will Indy find God or not? This is so exciting!” You show me that someone and I will show you someone who sees everything through god-colored glasses. I think it's a huge stretch to say that “He’s seen the power of God now, and he knows what it can do, and he knows it isn’t folklore. He knows it is true.” He may accept that there are things that are currently not explainable by science and that's why he tells Marion to not look at the ark, but he is still a scientist through and through who believes in facts. “That’s a powerful force. Research should be done--", he says after it is all over. Research. He wants to get to the bottom of this. That's what drives him. To seek the truth. Just because something can't be explained does not prove the existence of god, it only means that we haven't found an answer yet.

Sometimes I struggle to identify themes, central dramatic questions and all that stuff when analyzing screenplays. It can be a real gray area, and with Raiders it seems to me that it's even more of a battle. John Gary makes some valid points about religion, and Kasdan himself has acknowledged the arc 'from atheist to agnostic' that occurs in the course of this story. However, as per a previous post, I think it's a stretch to locate that theme in this particular draft, and arguments for the presence of other themes are tenuous at best. I guess you could hazard a guess at a few: the corruption of power; the importance of accepting responsibility as reflected in Indy trying to make amends by trying to save Marion; maybe something about the delicate balance of morality as per Indy and Belloq and the fine lines that separate them. I don't know, I'm reaching. I think that's all that can be done here, but I'll gladly be proven wrong.