Andy Griffith: Man of Faith


Andy Griffith shows a great deal of faith in his son Opie in the episode "Mr. McBeevee" of the television show The Andy Griffith Show. The background for the episode is set at the beginning when it shows Opie pretending to ride on his imaginary horse. Later in the episode, Opie tells his father and Barney about a man named Mr. McBeevee "who walks in the treetops, wears a silver hat, has twelve extra hands, blows smoke from his ears, and jingles when he walks as if he had rings on his fingers and bells on his toes" (source). Andy and Barney think it's Opie's imagination at work just like the horse he made up. They begin to get suspicious when Opie brings home an axe that he says was given to him by Mr. McBeevee. The next day Opie shows a quarter that he says he received from Mr. McBeevee which makes Andy and Barney become a little frustrated that Opie is taking his imagination too far. At the end of the episode, Andy goes into Opie's room and threatens to spank him if he keeps making up stories about Mr. McBeevee. However, "Opie is unable to betray the existence of Mr. McBeevee" (source). Andy ponders to himself while sitting with Opie and then tells him that he believes Opie. When asked by Barney if he really believed in Mr. McBeevee, Andy replied, "No, no, no. I believe in Opie."

This episode of The Andy Griffith Show has taught me many things about faith. This specific instance of faith perfectly shows faith means complete trust; i.e., "believing in something even though you do not have absolute certainty that you are correct" (Faith, Reason, Revelation Textbook). Andy can't prove that Mr. McBeevee exists, but he puts his trust in Opie anyways. This relates to belief in God. I cannot prove God exists but I still put my trust and belief in God. Even though I can't fully understand Him, I still put my faith in Him. But it's important to know that i don't have blind faith in God. I have reasons to back up my belief in God. Those reasons brought me to Him, and I have learned of more reasons to help me continue in my faith of God. Also, I have learned not to let others have too much of an influence on who I put my faith in. In the episode, Barney and his mother tell Andy to forget this notion of there actually being a Mr. McBeevee and spank Opie for letting his imagination go too far. But Andy doesn't let them take over his thoughts and makes his decision on his own and rightfully puts his faith in Opie. On a weekly basis, I need to remind myself not to let my friends who don't believe that there's a God get to me. I have to remember my choice to follow God and stick with it. Andy Griffith shows great intelligence in picking the right person to put his faith in and overall is a good model of faith.