TheFedora
Active member
kongisking said:I've always wondered how the heck all those different religions can co-exist in Indy's world....and all be true. Part of me likes to think by introducing the IDBs, Lucas was trying to hint that all religions are based on ancient astronauts, each of whom took on different forms and tried to teach/conquer humanity in their own way. Basically, he was creating an explanation for how all these different mythologies can co-exist and all be true somehow. Of course, that concept probably pisses off the relig-y crowd, but it at least could fix that plot hole in this series...and even explain why Indy is always skeptical of different supernatural things.
I could interpret his skepticism as not of the supernatural itself, but of that specific mythology, since he's seen proof that such-and-such religion is true, hence he automatically assumes all others are false...until the next one proves true. Basically, he's always skeptical just in case this new mythology he's dealing with happens to be the rare one that doesn't have any truth to it.
I would accept that, but that seems to make me wonder why he doubted the grail then. Christianity is accepted to be an offshoot of Judaism I think, so I don't know if by that point he was thinking that the Grail had the same sort of power that the ark imbued or not. Remember the power was in the grail not the water itself...rather the grail was able to turn the water into a destructive force when the evil guy drank it, but was fine for him. Like it had some sort of 'warning device' and the minute you came into contact with it you were tested by the power of God. Also, taking the power of God behind the seal makes me think that there may have been the Grail acting on its own again, some kind of spiritual 'barrier' that it simply can't exist beyond.
Also, thinking about the fourth dimensional beings... it's very possible. Considering that the dimensional beings are able to come back to life once the skulls are returned to body makes me wonder if they were in stasis... Also technology sufficiently advanced is like magic so magical incantations like the Sankara stones could really be code words acting on whatever technology. The ark is a huge booby trap designed to attack all these who view it. (The ark shooting the electric energy to disable the lights kind of makes me think of it as semi-technological) and the false Grail's 'detection system' for a person's true soul kind of reads to me as possibly being technological too, since the false grail could easily dispense acid or whatever into the water to get the results we saw in the Nazi guy after drinking, and the true grail gives lifegiving results once it determines that the person is worthy. Also instead of being a 'spiritual' barrier for the ark, the seal could also be some sort of 'technological' barrier that prevents it being taken. Said technological barrier can keep you in 'stasis' while behind it, which is why the knight was able to live while probably repeatedly drinking the cup.