the consumer mentality at work?

the previous posting begs the question: what is our consumer mentality, and why is it a bummer? Here is a great quote from missionthink.typepad.com:

"Consumerism is the Spirit of our Age. We look at all things through its lens. Everything from goods--to relationships--to our God, falls victim to the consumerist impulse, and is thus commodified. So, for me the trick isn't merely to spend less money and give more to good causes (though that is a significant part of what I'm advocating); the challenge is for us to change the way we understand our ownership of resources, to change the way we understand our relationship to the larger world. We must stop viewing ourselves as autonomous and sovereign consumers, and begin to authentically understand ourselves as stewards or trustees. This understanding plays out in the following ways:

-Our possessions are not our own. If we desire a new good, the determining factor shouldn't be our ability to afford it.

-Our relationships are not commodities. We are called to submit to one another, instead of entering into some sort of relational transaction, in which our needs and wants are met.
-Our virtues reflect Scripture...which is often at odds with our societal values of "success" "productivity" "efficiency" and "affluence."
-Our churches are not dispensers of religious goods and services. We don't shop for churches. We don't go to the church that most aligns itself with our tastes and wants. The discernment process is much deeper than that.
-Our faith isn't a set of commodities. We don't create our own personal creed and our own personal faith. It is developed in community, as we submit to the presence of the Spirit and the reading of the Scriptures in community.
-Our God isn't the ultimate commodity. We don't sell Jesus. We don't buy-in to belief. Our response to God is one of worship. He consumes us."

well put.