Faith Under the Fedora: Indiana Jones and the Heroic Journey Towards God

This essay explores how the original Indiana Jones trilogy (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade) work as a single journey towards faith. In the first film, Indy fully rejects religion and by the third film he accepts God. How does this happen? Indy takes a journey by exploring archeology, mythology, and theology that is best exemplified by Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Like many people who come to find faith, it does not occur overnight. Indy takes a similar path, using his career and adventurer status to help him find Ultimate Truth.