The Things of This World
Humility is a virtue, not a neurosis
- Thomas Merton
One of the key features of 2x2ism is the renunciation of the "things of this world". 2x2s make a point of avoiding many aspects of modern society - in my experience, one of the most notable items being the television - for the given reason that the "things of this world" are capable of causing one to fall away from the one true way. Growing up as a child in the 2x2, I always felt that the distinctions made were somewhat arbitrary; however, there is certainly biblical support for not placing too much emphasis on worldly possessions, as witnessed by Jesus' instructions to the young man: 
"And, behold, one came and said unto him, 'Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?'...Jesus said unto him, 'If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.' " (Mt 19:16,21)
Focus on the things of heaven and denial of the self are indeed found in Scripture:
fasting: - Mt 9:15, Mk 9:29)
celibacy - Mt 19:12, 1 Cor 7
giving up possessions - Mt 19:21, Mk 10:28, Lk 9:57-62, Lk 12:33)
taking up one's cross - Mk 8:34
disciplined life - 1 Cor 9:24-27, Eph 4:22, Col 3:5, Rom 8, Gal 5, Mt 7:13-27
In this sense, an interesting scriptural passage is found in Luke 14:26: "if any man come to Me and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple". Needless to say, Jesus was not telling His followers to actually "hate" their own family - instead, Jesus was telling us that we should love God above all other things. This love of God should supercede wealth, success, televisions, clothes, and even our church group and our own family. This is precisely why Paul wrote in 1 Cor 9:27:"I chastise my body and bring it into subjection: lest perhaps when I have preached to others I myself should be castaway"
As general rule, 2x2s do not own televisions and/or radios, wear simple clothes, avoid going to movies; the women are encouraged not to wear cosmetics, jewelry, even wedding bands and wristwatches. The internet is usually preached against by workers. All of these legalisms are meant to impress upon members the need for self-denial. Those who have left, though, might argue that these legalisms are the features of an abusive cult which is trying to isolate them from society as part of some form of "mind-control".
It should be noted that there is nothing wrong about focusing less on worldly things. Today's society has become overly commercialized and materialistic; however, there is nothing inherently wrong with owning a television - it is the application thereof which can lead to sin. For example, if a person owns a television in order to watch pornography, etc., then that is sinful. Yet, there are many inspirational and educational programs available for a person to watch and be enriched in some way, including spiritual enrichment. The variation on interpretations of what constitutes being "too worldly" is somewhat arbritary; for example, a 2x2 won't own a TV but might read trashy romance novels. Yet, the Amish farmer in Pennsylvania might, ironically, accuse a 2x2 worker of being too "worldly" for simply driving a car and using a telephone. Followers of Jainism in India who sometimes starve themselves to death in the pursuit of sainthood might look upon an Amish farmer as living in the lap of luxury.
In general, if asceticism is followed simply for the sake of feeling superior to the world (as some ex-members might argue 2x2s are guilty of doing), there is no virtue in it. In fact, Jesus berated the Pharisees for performing pious acts in public for the sake of the appearing of outwardly holy (Mt 23).
Certain revisionist historians, such as Nathan Barker and the professor Jaenan, point to such asceticism as proof of the apostolic claims of 2x2s "from the beginning". Unfortunately, such a lifestyle is common to many different groups of many various orientation - Stoicism is an example from antiquity. Also the Dead Sea Scrolls describe the Essenes, an ascetic Jewish sect with the Qumran community around the first century B.C to the first century A.D., who took an oath of piety and justice. The early Christian community sold their possessions and divided up their resources (Acts 2:45). Even Buddhism teaches rejection of riches. In other words, an ascetic lifestyle alone is not a sufficient criterion for determining apostolicity; in fact, some groups practiced a sort of false asceticism in attempts to appear legitimate, in which Augustine in the 4th Century mentioned in his Retractations that he felt moved to address this issue: "When I was at Rome after my baptism, and could not bear in silence the vaunting of the Manichæans about their pretended and misleading continence or abstinence, in which, to deceive the inexperienced, they claim superiority over true Christians, to whom they are not to be compared, I wrote two books, one on the morals of the Catholic Church, the other on the morals of the Manichæans." (i, 7)
Evil is the absence of good, it is not the creation of bad. In the creation story of Genesis 1, God made the world and everything in it, and He "saw that it was good". God is not capable of creating something bad; it is the result of the selfish application of free will which leads to evil, where man chooses, via free will, to sin against God. For example, televisions are not inherently evil, cosmetics are not inherently evil, even sex itself is not inherently evil. Rather, if someone uses sex, television, and cosmetics for the purpose of feeding one's own disordered sexual desires, then that is evil - not the items themselves. Such extremes of piety and asceticism led the Manicheans into a dualistic worldview, such that ALL physical matter is evil - this heresy has reappeared in various forms like Catharism, and to a lesser extent in Waldenses and Anabaptists, to name a few. These groups are noteworthy only because often historians will try to incorporate them into their argument of apostolic succession for their own particular sect.
Ironically, even though the medieval Catholic Church was condemned by various groups for incontinent and corrupt clergy as well as opulence, there has been a tradition of humility, poverty, and self-denial within Catholicism as well. The Shepherd of Hermas dealt often with how the goal of perfect charity and fellowship with God was to be gained. The 5th Century Rule of St. Benedict is famous for such teachings - he was known the motto "pray and labor" (ora et labora) as a way of life. Peter Waldo, who founded the Waldenses, was inspired by a Catholic saint named Alex who gave up his wealth and family. St. Francis of Assisi (pictured left in a fresco by Gozzoli entitled, The Renunciation of Wealth in Front of the Bishop of Assisi) lived a life of poverty. In a letter to the faithful, Francis wrote, "Let us also love our neighbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind them in this world, but they carry with them
the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will receive from the Lord the reward and recompense
they deserve. We must not be wise according to the flesh. Rather we must be simple, humble and pure. We should never
desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to every human being for God's sake. The
Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them.
They will be the Father's children who do his work." Others include Francis de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life and Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises - monastaries and societies were founded all over the world for the purpose of focusing on God instead of the things of this world. Cyprian, a 3rd Century bishop of Carthage noted this of some people:"Their property held them in chains...which shackled their courage and choked their faith...and throttled their souls...They think of themselves as owners, whereas it is they rather who are owned; enslaved as they are to their own property."
Similarly, John Vianney said, "You cannot please both God and the world at the same time, They are utterly opposed to each other in their thoughts, their desires, and their actions."
So, if ascetism is undertaken for the purpose of doing the will of God through disciplined renunciation of personal desires and the pursuit of charity in the imitation of Christ - these things are capable of producing changes with ourselves that can cleanse us from serious sin and bring us closer to Him. A Christian is enabled, through the grace of God, to develop meekness, gentleness, self-control, patience, continence, chastity, justice, honesty, brotherly love, etc. But, if these things are imposed upon a group in a self-congratulatory way for the sake of appearing pious or isolating themselves, then those changes become detrimental.
Below are selected quotes from The Rule of St. Benedict:
"Idleness is the enemy of the soul. Therefore, let there be specified periods for manual labor as well as for prayerful reading...When they live by the labor of their hands as those before us did, then they are really monks. Yet, all things are to be done with moderation on acccount of the fainthearted." (RB 48:1,8)
"The first step of humility, then, is that we keep the fear of God always before our eyes and never forgetit. We must constantly remember everything God has commanded...while guarding ourselves at every moment from sins and vices of thought, of hand or foot, of self-will or bodily desire...The second step is that we come to love not our own will or our own pleasure...The third step is that we submit in all obedience for the love of God." (RB 7:10-12,31,34)
"It is love that impels them to pursue everlasting life; therefore, they are eager to take the narrow road...They no longer live by their own judgment, giving in to their whims and appetites." (RB 5:10-12)
"The workshop where we toil faithfully...is the shelter of the monastery and stability of the community" (RB 4:78)
"Those who are patient while enduring difficulty and injustice are fulfilling the Lord's command." (RB 7:42)
"Do not pamper yourself." (RB 4:12)
"Your way of acting should be different from the world's way." (RB 4:20)
"Their law is what they like to do, whatever strikes their fancy. Anything they believe in and choose, they call holy; anything they dislike, they consider forbidden." (RB 1:8-9)
"This very obedience, however...is not cringing or sluggish or half-hearted, but free from any grumbling or any reaction of unwillingness." (RB 5:14)
"Prefer moderation in speech and speak no foolish chatter." (RB 4:52-53)
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