Makes sense, Don. Although it's been a long time since we, in the UK, were fervently religious. In the UK the demonisation of the poor seems to have more to do with class distinction and snobbery.

Interestingly the Left in this country, particularly the Labour Party, like to make a virtue out of inverse snobbery. Although most Labour Party members these days tend to be drawn from the middle classes (school teachers, university lecturers etc.) they all adopt, when it suits them, the victim mentality of 'horny-handed sons and daughters of toil'. Nevertheless, under the last Labour government, the gap between rich and poor widened as never before.