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general::
Phrase(s): The nearer the church, the farther from God.
Prov. Church officials, or people who live near the church, are not truly pious. • Jill: I think our pastor is an evil man. Jane: I didn’t think evil men could be pastors. Jill: Of course they can! The nearer the church, the farther from God.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs