A moral challenge to many countries in the First World, ostensibly in the United States, is the prevalence of consumerism, a manifestation of materialism.  Some moral philosophers consider consumerism as worse than the atheism of the communists or other materialists.  At least, practitioners of materialism are consistent with their beliefs.  They do not believe in the existence of a personal God or of the spirit.  Thus, they behave accordingly and live as if they cease to exist when they die and therefore, look for their fulfillment and happiness in the material things of this world. In contrast, many of the consumerists allege that they believe in God and in a life hereafter.  But they act as if everything that matters is acquiring more and more material goods.  They equate human fulfillment or happiness with ever accumulating more and more goods to consume. They are obsessed with “having” rather than with “being”.