They were caught up in themselves. Their lost respect for God led to loss of respect for the work of His hands. The vast majority of people in our country say that they believe in God. With this has come a loss of respect for the work of His hands and the denying of justice to the innocent. When there is no respect for the Divine, then Divine matters, such as life and death, are taken into human hands.
Evil is seen as good and darkness as light.
The good news is the flip side of all of this. When there is respect for the Creator, respect for the work of His hands follows. When the Creator is seen in light of who He is, the creature appears in a whole new and wonderful light. When the sense of God is found, the sense of His created beings becomes profound. When the Divine is acknowledged, Divine knowledge remains in His hands.