To them the church is nothing more than a nearby place where the bells ring every hour and God is little more than an exclamation. In fact, one of the few mentions of religion early in the book is when Catherine explains why Myrtle and Tom can't be together. He says, “See,” exclaimed Catherine triumphantly. He lowered his voice again. "It is his wife who keeps them separated. She is Catholic and they don't believe in divorce" (37). Nick then explains that "Daisy wasn't Catholic, and I was a little shocked at the complexity of the lie" (37). Religion has no significance for the moral lives of the characters. It's just an explanation to use for any behavior, whenever it suits him. It's really ironic, given that instead of getting a divorce, Tom has an affair, all in the name of