Atheism Stack Exchange Archive

Is there a difference between hope and faith?

Hope is a feeling that sometimes expressed in the face of evidence to the contrary of that which is hoped for. Hope is also often expressed when there is no evidence that the thing that is hoped for will be realized. Faith appears to operate along similar lines. Is there a difference?

A consequence of this question: Could I, as an atheist, hope that God is real, while still remaining an atheist? If no, then how do we justify an atheist’s selectivity about that which is valid to hope for? Or must we be pessimists (perhaps less strictly solely realists?)

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