Bel and the Dragon

Think Daniel meets detective story. This addition contains two tales that make idol worship look ridiculous. In the first story, King Cyrus worships Bel, a Babylonian god. Every day, the priests set out massive amounts of food and wine for the idol. The next morning, it's all gone. "See?" says the king. "Bel is a living god-he eats all this food!"

Daniel laughs. "Don't be deceived, O king. This thing is just clay inside and bronze outside. It has never eaten anything." The king is furious and demands proof. Daniel has a plan. He scatters ashes on the temple floor and seals the doors. When they return in the morning, the food is gone as usual-but the ashes reveal the footprints of the priests and their families, who had been entering through a secret door to steal the offerings. The king executes the priests and lets Daniel destroy the idol and the temple.

In the second story, there's a dragon (or snake) that the Babylonians worship. Daniel kills it by feeding it cakes made of pitch, fat, and hair, which makes it explode. The angry Babylonians throw Daniel into the lions' den-again. This time he's there seven days. The prophet Habakkuk is miraculously transported from Judea to bring him lunch. Daniel walks out unharmed. The point of both stories? The living God makes dead idols look silly.