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Gift giving is very much part of our Christmas season. Not only does gift giving (and receiving) define Christmas for most people, it also defines a very important part of yearly retail sales. It is amazing how we now depend on gift giving and the money spent for those gifts to boost our national economy.

It is estimated that almost 20 percent of American retail sales depends on Christmas gift giving. This is amazing when you consider what the original intent of this supposed holy season for most people was intended to be.

How and when did this happen? And, how has it changed what the season actually is, the celebrating of the birth of Jesus? The answer can vary but one thing that is consistent. Religion is used by every vested interest that can further its cause by attaching itself to a religious belief. This includes everything from making a buck to fanning the flames of war when war promotes the national interests of the powers that be.

We are now so used to this phenomena that we not only not notice it any longer, it allows those who manipulate religion for their own purposes to make religion the cause of every event, good or bad.

How many wars are blamed on religion, including the wars now being waged in the Middle East? Do you really believe that if so-called religious conviction was not involved these conflicts would not exist? If so, those who have manipulated you have done it well.

When you find theocracy; you find religion being used as the motivator to keep the faithful in line with those who control the power structure. It is impossible to separate religious faith from political and economic power in these countries.

However, one thing is certain, if religion did not exist in these so-called theocracies, the wars that are waged for political and economic power would continue to be fought by competing groups as fiercely as before.

Is it any different in the liberal democracies? At first appearance it would seem so, but is that really the case. Certainly, the despotic impositions of religious beliefs are not present here but you still find religious conviction as part of the political belief system of many who are driven to obtain power.

The difference here is obvious. Where theocracies rule by degree, liberal democracies rule by manipulating public opinion. Thus was born the most sophisticated public relations and advertising industries ever imagined.

Who would not choose freedom to despotic rule? For those of us who are fortunate to live in a country that is politically free, how do we choose freely to participate in decision making on a daily basis?

This question should be consistently debated because it is at the core of the central issue and question: How do we remain free when we are constantly bombarded with effective political and sales messages that influence our actions continually?

I know there are many who feel they are immune to these sales pitches that inundate our culture. If so, let me ask the obvious. Do you really believe that very smart people who are willing to spend millions of dollars on a regular basis to manipulate how you feel, would do so if it were not effective?

All of this is very obvious, but that may be the problem. The obvious does not get a lot of attention. We should all be constantly aware how institutions, be they religious, economic or political, are used by various power blocs to manipulate public opinion.

I should make clear one thing clear: I am not opposed to the public relations or advertising industry doing what they do best. It is a very important part of a free market system. The problem is that only those with the money to spend in very large amounts have access to this incredibly efficient industry.

Again we get back to our original example about Christmas and how it’s original purpose, the birth of Jesus, has been distorted for economic gain. It does not take much imagination to see how religion can also be used by any power bloc to further its own particular cause.

Regardless of the culture, the rulers are always those with autocratic power or the money to manipulate the system for their own purposes. Eventually these two distinctly different groups become the same people.

None of this matters when a free society has an economically strong and participating middle class. This is always an indication a free society is working the way it was meant to evolve. However, when the middle class begins to disappear and what you have left are haves and have not’s, something is very wrong.

We can get so used to this phenomenon it becomes a fixed way of life and the dye is cast. Let us hope that will never happen here and to you.