There are many shows in which violence and immorality are shamelessly practiced and praised.  Little Men provides a happy respite from most of such worldly ways.  The series has a family warmth.  When I see the children, as well as adults, working together, sharing their feelings, ironing out differences, I smile and am thankful for such a show.  Values of kindness and friendship are woven throughout the series, and even a positive acknowledgement of God from time to time.  The characters are not perfect, yet they try to honor the right things in this world.
     Even so, there are flaws in the morals of the series.  Perhaps the imperfections are but reflections of sinful human beings, but I still inwardly cringe.  Take, for example, the "innocent" lies the children tell one of the housekeeper applicants (Mrs. Wade) in the episode Family Business (hear the clip).  Some of it, perhaps, might be true, or merely exaggerated, but it seems extremely reasonable to think they are telling some falsehoods. (Can you imagine Jo letting anyone freeze to death in the barn?!)  I suppose Jo would have reproved them all if she had known about their deceit, but the episode seems to be trying to make you laugh at their sly and deceptive actions against the applicants, and some of it is rather funny and seemingly harmless (such as the molasses and frogs).  But if one believes the Bible, these acts are not in accord with the command to respect your elders and to do unto others as you would have them do to you.  A straightforward approach would have been much better. . . . The children could have discussed their concerns with Jo and Asia, and perhaps Jo would have stopped asking for applicants and let Asia decide first whether she wanted to stay or leave.  On the whole, the episode has good teachings, but there could have been a better way of doing it.
     In Blame, Franz tells Jo he hit into a door, instead of the truth that Dan punched him.  Franz was trying to show that he had forgiven Dan and did not want to make anything of it to Jo.  But is a lie ever right?  Some say yes, but I believe that any lie, no matter how well-meaning, is wrong.  There is another example of lying "to help out" in the episode Civil Disobedience.  Mr. McBride is asking about the accidents that have happened at Plumfield . . .

     Surely Emil had some remembrance of Tommy's other mishaps!
     In Father Figure and Three Angry Women, Dan and Amy use the Lord's name in vain.
     Things like these, however small they may seem, should not be laughed at or said to be good deeds.  It is true that many people have different views of what is wrong and what is right, and that many people say that there are no universal absolutes—but isn't saying there are no universal absolutes an absolute in itself?  Many people do think that there are absolutes, but they disagree as to the source of the absolutes.  Some think absolutes are according to what our duty lies in.  Some say we should do what is the 'greatest good for the greatest number' of people.  Some say the Bible is the source of all absolute truths.  Some don't know what to think.  I propose to you that the Bible is indeed the source of all truth.  Other sources verify that Jesus lived, and Jesus claimed to be the Son of God.  Jesus could not have been a "good man" if He lied about Himself being the Son of God.  The Old Testament includes many prophesies from God which tell of the Messiah, and they all fit the description of Jesus.  The Bible is described as "the inspired Word of God."  However, I will not go into more detail.  While reason may be used to give a person a superficial belief in Christ and the Bible, it cannot persuade people to put their whole life under God's control.  Only faith, given by God, can do that.
     Besides this, there are a few Little Men episodes which do not encourage Biblical truth.  The Lantern Man, while partially fun and harmless, mixes "ghost stories" in with it.  Ghost stories are just harmless entertainment, right?  Well, I would not be too sure about that.  In fact, "ghosts" may really be another name for demons, Satanic spirits spoken of in the Bible.  To be giving gifts to and talking to a "ghost" (a supposedly departed spirit of a person) is to step on the side of danger.  The episode Looking Forward also goes against the Bible.  While we should certainly not be prejudiced towards any nationality of people, we should be careful not to believe everything they do.  Indian spirit guides are likely demonic, and Dan goes on a "Indian vision quest" and prays to the spirits.  Jo even goes along with this by encouraging Dan to go on the quest.  The Weaker Sex is another episode which departs from the Bible.  This is a controversial and difficult subject, but the Bible does teach that women are the weaker vessel and that the men are to be the head of the house, to provide for their wives.  Wives are to be submissive to their husbands (Ephesians 5:22-24, Colossians 3:18).  The Bible, however, does teach that women should be industrious and can work from home, and in no way teaches that women are to be valued less than men.  Women often have different strengths and different callings than men.  God did use a female judge in a time when there were few godly men on the earth, and godly women were valued and spoken highly of in many passages.  The Bible also says that men need to love their wives (Ephesians 5:25-33).
     Little Men, with all its flaws, is basically a good series, and obviously is one of my favorite TV series, or I would not have made this Little Men website.  I am merely pointing out that this series, like every other, does have problems, and that we all need to take the things they do with a "grain of salt."

     (Taking Philosophy at the Christian college I went to may have something to do with the wordy, philosophical sentences in this article.  =o))   If I have angered anyone, I am sorry, but I do not take anything back.

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