Definition of «false piety»

False piety refers to a pretence or insincere display of religious devotion, faith or morality. It is when someone acts as if they are more virtuous or righteous than they really are, often for personal gain or to appear better in the eyes of others. In essence, it's being hypocritical and going through the motions of piety without truly embracing its values or living by them sincerely.

Sentences with «false piety»

And then there's former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who has been accused of false piety for asserting religion's primacy (especially controversial was his suggestion that «the schoolteacher will never be able to replace the priest or the pastor»). (totalpolitics.com)
You, on the other hand, are a racist bigot, cloaked in false piety, who hides behind the Bible, used to reinforce your hatred of whole groups of people who you can not hold a candle to. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
And yet, that doesn't stop people on this board who are absolutely hateful... as they hide behind their cloak of false piety. (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
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