Naturally if God can reconcile the parties' love for each other with their love for him once, he can do it endlessly; there is no possible chance of them falling out of love. If God does not exist, then of course the world is condemned to an inadequate trust between men and women, which is the best that has been produced hitherto. If mankind had invented a technique for producing absolute trust, we should all have heard about it already. The brutal truth is that if God exists there is a chance of reaching absolute trust in human relations; if he does not exist, there isn't. Furthermore, if it is not possible to reach or create absolute trust, ever advancing technology will probably precipitate an ever steepening, descending, spiral of chaos.

However, let us assume that absolute trust is attainable, and consider what effect a calamitous experience would have upon two people who have absolute trust in each other. Suppose that the couple are dragged against their will to a divorce court, and the judge against their will pronounces a decree of divorce. It seems a far-fetched example in this country today; but it must have been quite common not so long ago when marriages were largely arranged. Goethe was prevented from marrying the girl he fell in love with (so he…