One of the books in the Christian library  is  Bel and the Dragon. It tells of how Bel, a Babylonian deity, is exposed as the product of a fraudulent priesthood.   People assumed that Bel, a huge statue of some kind, consumed the food that they placed before him. The book presents the hero as the same figure in the Bible, Daniel, a Hebrew in Babylonian exile.    Here are some snippets from the drama.

The exchange between the king and Daniel

Then said the king unto him, Thinkest thou not that Bel is a living God? seest thou not how much he eateth and drinketh every day? (Bel and the Dragon 1:6, KJVA)

Daniel’s smiling response.

O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, and did never eat or drink any thing. (Bel and the Dragon 1:7, KJVA)

So a plan emerged to keep a close eye on  sacrifice and the interval between the sacrifice and the morning, when the food would normally be gone. In brief, the priests were caught devouring the food with their families each night when they thought no one was watching.

So when they were gone forth, the king set meats before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and those they strewed throughout all the temple in the presence of the king alone: then went they out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed. (Bel and the Dragon 1:14, KJVA)

If this story be true then what are we to make of all the idols that are still being made and worshiped across the planet?  You can see why such a book is in what we call the Apocrypha.  I suspect that there are people who are convinced that idols have a secret life, a dimension we are yet to discover.  Idols that walk, eat, drink, asleep, and have children are certainly wondrous, but idols will be shown to be incapable of doing the ordinary activities of the people who worship them. You can see why idols are a thriving business in government, religion, and business.