If you are prejudiced against religious messages in movies, then please either open your heart, or don't watch this movie at all. If you do watch it, then please don't criticize it maliciously solely because it has a religious message.
Oliver talks a lot about providence and specifically says that the dead letters they get for delivering are meant for them to deliver implying a higher power. There are several times when people pray. Dale, who is religious, says at one point that she doesn't pray to change God, but to change herself. At a funeral for a coworker, Oliver talks about the deceased saying that her passport to the kingdom of God is valid and permanent. He also invites the mourners to ask themselves if they are ready for that journey. The movie as a whole is a strong religious message, which is far beyond anything I've seen in 4 other movies in this series. I also think that the religious message is delivered mostly by the circumstances and peoples' reactions to them. It is on a very fine line between being obnoxiously preachy and not being preachy at all. It does probably lean toward preachy.
I think that the acting, writing, and production are better than that of a lot of the God movies of our era. The actors are experienced. In this episode they are slightly less quirky and nerdy and they are a little more serious than in other episodes, but they still portray people who have a lot of quirks, especially Rita, Norman, and Oliver.
The story of Oliver and Shane's relationship, and the story of Rita and Norman's relationship, both continue to develop in a positive way. There is character growth, especially in Norman.
