The answer to a question in the March 2014 Journal about the actuality of the Daniel in the lions’ den story reminded me of a story my mother often shared with me.
One day when she was three years old, her family drove to a gas station, where the owner kept a large, vicious, snarling dog chained up on the property. While the car was being filled, my mother, who loved animals, wandered off to pet the dog. When her family realized where she was, they became terrified. But the dog was completely calm. Apparently he felt nothing but love from this innocent child, and responded accordingly. You could say that an angel had shut the dog’s mouth. Based on my mother’s experience, I have good reason to believe that an angel could have shut the mouths of the lions facing Daniel, whose punishment was not unheard of in those days.
Daniel’s experience must have meant a great deal to Mary Baker Eddy. For several years I gave tours of Mrs. Eddy’s home in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, with its original furnishings. On the wall at the foot of her bed—where she would see it every morning—was a picture of Daniel looking up at the light, with the subdued lions behind him.
