They act as if being rich is a sin. That is, everything you could do that might result in getting rich is condemned. Get a full time job? Quit your job, and pio-sneer. You make $50 an hour? You need to quit, so you can pio-sneer. You make $50 an hour, still make all the boasting sessions, and put in 25 hours a month in field circus? You should quit, so you can make that 200 hours a month. And, displaying nice things might "stumble" others in the congregation.
There is a time and a place for materialism. You need to acquire nice things (that are going to hold up) now, because you do not want to have them break when the dollar becomes worthless soon. If you have a car that gets 18 gallons to the mile, you need to replace it with something that gets decent gas mileage (and perhaps a bicycle) before prices become impossible to afford and gas goes to a nonillion dollars a gallon. If you have clothing that is ratty or simply looks or feels terrible, you should replace them with the best you can afford so you don't have them wear out right in the middle of hyperinflation and/or shortages. And so on.
Beyond this, another good time for materialism is after a major crisis, or if a person is creating real wealth. There is no reason not to enjoy wealth if you are creating it. If you are able to get your hands on a mountain of silver now, or you did so when it was only $4 an ounce in the early 2000s, and hold onto it while it reaches $6,000 per ounce in pre-QE2 dollars, there is no reason not to spend it on other assets when they are at their lows. So long as you do not use the wealth to steal wealth from others (like the big banks and the Rothschild family do), there is no problem with enjoying it.
As for right now, I believe this is a good time to be putting wealth in assets that protect it from inflation. Yes, get those durable goods and basic necessities now. Yes, replace that gas guzzler with something that uses much less gas. But, do you really need a 72" TV? Or, perhaps a 32" or 40" will do--saving electricity when it gets very expensive while saving you a pretty penny that can be invested in a silver "penny". And, if you have money socked away in your bank, what happens when the dollar becomes worthless or the whole banking system goes kaput? As much as I am in favor of enjoying your wealth, I think now is a good time to be thinking more of protecting it.
And "spiritual wealth" is not the answer. If anyone donates to a religion, no less the Washtowel Slaveholdery, you are wasting money. The whole idea of investing is to be able to have it for future use, so you can enjoy wealth. Quitting that good job is not the answer--I believe you should keep it as long as possible. And protect your wealth so you will have it to enjoy at some future time. As for those who preach giving up your wealth (as opposed to protecting it), shame on them--especially when they preach donating to their own organization.
