The connection is of course famously the theme of Max Weber's Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism[1], so it might be more accurate to say the origin of the attitude was religious, but it has now become more widespread.

1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_S...

When I think of charity in my city, I have soup kitchen, run by church, adult day care run by another church, drug clinic run by church, habitat humanity branch, another church, probably a lot I am missing since I'm not a churchy person. I think there are some nonsecular like Kiwanis and Lions also.

This study shows religious tend to donate more to charity.

https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Religious-Americans-Giv...

It turns out jerks are jerks, and the church bashing is unwarranted here.

Throughout "western culture"? No, I contend that such a sentiment is particularly prevalent in the USA. Countries in Europe, Canada and Australia among others, do not share such a view.

Just to remember that we have a whole lot of countries in America that are not any of those you cited, and they all share western culture too.

The sentiment is hardly unique to western culture either. Off the top of my head the Hindu Caste System seems like a pretty good example of a system that excuses the mistreatment of the poor.

I think the difference is that the caste system relies on the poor being there, it doesn't imagine that they should all disappear.

Yes, that's true. But there really is a shocking percentage of Americans who really do believe that no long term thinking is needed because the Second Coming is imminent.

>I think you ruined your point at the end there by implying this attitude is unique to those that are religious.

/s/Jesus/trickle down

I think that fixes it