What is the story of Daniel and the lion's den about?

AnswerFirst of all, it can be demonstrated that the Book of Daniel is not a true story. In spite of adamant statements by some believers that the book was written by Daniel himself, scholars say that it was really written approximately 167 BCE, centuries after the events it purports to portray. The Book of Daniel was really using the Babylonian Exile as an allegory for the Syrian Empire that was oppressing the Jews at the time of writing. If the Book of Daniel was not really true, then of course the story of Daniel and the lion's den was certainly not true.

The story in Daniel chapter 6 tells of Daniel being thrust into the role of second-in command of the entire empire, and of jealous men conspiring to have Daniel thrown into the den of lions, taking advantage of the well-known Persian code of morality, in which a promise can not be broken. It follows with a pious passage that can only be Propaganda. Not only was Daniel a role model for the readers, by praying to his God in spite of the risk, his God was able to save him from the lions, just as God had previously saved the young men from the furnace in a quite similar context. The fact that the story even tells of the wrong Persian king who defeated the Babylonians (Darius, when it should have been Cyrus) is further proof, if any is needed, of the fictional nature of the story.