It started with the Moral Majority back in 1979..........

One of my favourite quotes from Wuthering Heights is the description of Joseph as "He was, and is yet most likely, the wearisomest self-righteous Pharisee that ever ransacked a Bible to rake the promises to himself and fling the curses to his neighbours."

I'd say for people inclined to judge and hate their neighbours and to justify their own behaviour at any cost, the Bible (and most religions really) provides as good a framework for doing that as anything else.

Nobody wants to think of themselves as the bad guy. Some people manage that by actually being kind, generous and empathetic and some people take the short cut by appealing to a higher authority to justify their terrible behaviour as actually sanctified good.

The problem in America is the increasing number of people who are unwilling to do the hard work of actually being good people and just want to find a community of people who provide cover for them behaving like an asshole. And social media has made that easier than ever.