What is "pious fraud"

Fraud \Fraud\ (fr[add]d), n. [F. fraude, L. fraus, fraudis; prob. akin to Skr. dh[=u]rv to injure, dhv[.r] to cause to fall, and E. dull.]

1. Deception deliberately practiced with a view to gaining an unlawful or unfair advantage; artifice by which the right or interest of another is injured; injurious stratagem; deceit; trick.

   If success a lover's toil attends, Few ask, if fraud or force attained his ends.
   --Pope.

2. (Law) An intentional perversion of truth for the purpose of obtaining some valuable thing or promise from another.

3. A trap or snare. [Obs.]

   To draw the proud King Ahab into fraud.
   --Milton.

   Constructive fraud (Law), an act, statement, or omission which operates as a fraud, although perhaps not intended to be such.
   --Mozley & W.

   Pious fraud (Ch. Hist.), a fraud contrived and executed to benefit the church or accomplish some good end, upon the theory that the end justified the means.

   Statute of frauds (Law), an English statute (1676), the principle of which is incorporated in the legislation of all the States of this country, by which writing with specific solemnities (varying in the several statutes) is required to give efficacy to certain dispositions of property.
   --Wharton.

   Syn: Deception; deceit; guile; craft; wile; sham; strife; circumvention; stratagem; trick; imposition; cheat. See Deception.

n. 1 An act of innocent deceit, technically using the methods of a fraudster but for an honest, honorable purpose 2 A person involved in such a fraud.

Pious fraud (Latin: pia fraus) is used to describe fraud in religion or medicine. A pious fraud can be counterfeiting a miracle or falsely attributing a sacred text to a biblical figure due to the belief that the " end justifies the means", in this case the end of increasing faith by whatever means available.