Where God has a church the devil will have his chapel
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Evil or opposition often accompanies good or authority.
Literally: a chapel for the devil near a church for God
Examples
The corrupt politician's presence was a reminder that where God has a church the devil will have his chapel.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed on English Wikiquote “English proverbs” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-31). Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “Where God has a church the devil will have his chapel” mean?
Evil or opposition often accompanies good or authority. Literally: a chapel for the devil near a church for God
Is “Where God has a church the devil will have his chapel” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.