The Ark is not a weapon. It is a seat.

That is the detail Raiders of the Lost Ark almost says outright. Belloq does not “activate” the Ark. He opens the wrong door. What comes out is not power being fired but presence being exposed, and the correct response is not bravery, faith, or cleverness.

It is distance.

The Hebrew Bible’s sacred is not safe because you mean well. It is safe only when approached by the rules.