How we cite our quotes:
Quote #1
Musgrove: What's that supposed to be coming out of there?
Indiana: Lightning. Fire. The power of God or something.
Indy's troubled here, even though we know a few scenes later that he doesn't really believe. But the notion that the Nazis could get their hands on this, and that it might actually let them rule the world, is enough to give him pause. So there's at least an inkling of theology amid his hard science background.
Quote #2
"The Bible speaks of the Ark leveling mountains and laying waste to entire regions. An army that carries the Ark before it… is invincible."
Marcus reiterates the stakes involved here, tied into whatever magic juju is in that gold box.
Quote #3
"For nearly three thousand years, man has been searching for the Lost Ark. Not something to be taken lightly. No one knows its secrets. It's like nothing you've ever gone after before!"
Beyond the stakes, there's the danger. Supernatural objects don't mean anything if we can't feel the threat they represent. We fear anything we don't understand and, to paraphrase Marcus, what we don't understand about this thing could just about fill the Grand Canyon.