I used to live in the south 30 years ago. I remember some southern baptist moms that wouldn't say the word "dead" - sometimes they'd spell it out, lol, similar to the way some people consider hell a swear word. This kind of hypersensitivity wasn't common outside of limited circles then, and it's certainly not more common today.

Similarly I wouldn't consider saying hell in public in 2023 to be a social faux pas.