[Korowa]

Sorry to make so many posts in such a short period of time, but I had this thought and I was wondering what other people thought of it also.

Now, we generally tend to associate Hope as being somewhat of a positive thing, in that it keeps people going through tough times or when they're down on the dumps, but I had a thought, is it really beneficial? When you think about hope, it's essentially a want of better things to come when things seems at their worst. However, that's all it really is, a want. You can keep on wanting something in life and it may never come, if you want to view it in a pessimistic view, it's one of the most masochistic things in the world, because you desire something that may NEVER come, of course this is mostly what you would consider a false hope but you have to admit that everyone falls prey to this.

On the other hand, faith is the BELIEF of things to come, not better things per say but just a belief. To make an example, one could hope that the Big Mac they ordered at McDonalds will taste the same as they had when they ate it last, or one could have faith that the Big Mac WILL taste the same as they ate last. It's a very subtle difference but a big one in my opinion. Of course a lot of religions tend to use faith as a way to convince people to trust in their religion, which is kind of a "bad" thing in my opinion.

I guess the overall question I want to ask here is that would rather have hope for better things to come, or would you rather have faith for better things to come? Would you be more disappointed if you hoped for it, or if you had faith in it? I'm sorry if I don't sound entirely coherent... 151 does that to people.

[josebiwasabi]

here's how i define it:

hope is merely optimism, whereas faith is conviction

i would rather have faith. hope can be fleeting, almost like an emotion. on the other hand, faith can really help you get through hard times. even when things are seemingly getting worse, you still have that conviction that things will eventually turn out for the best.

[Meenuh]

i would rather have faith than hope. it takes a load off of your shoulders.

when you have hope you get things like anticipation and you get anxious. it's like you're expecting it to happen. waiting and waiting and wondering " i hope ____ why isn't it happening?"

when you have faith, you have patience and wait for it to happen because you just know it'll happen.

[Irysinon]

Faith > Hope

Hope is empty, whereas faith is fulfillment. Hope is imagination, whereas faith is knowledge.

[D_K]

Hope is deceitful, and faith is nothing more than belief without justification.

[Korowa]

After hearing everybody's input, isn't it funny that people will hope for things?
What would the world really be like if people genuine had stopped hoping for anything? Would humanity as we know it just simply stagnate?

[papabear]

On the other hand, faith is the BELIEF of things to come, not better things per say but just a belief. To make an example, one could hope that the Big Mac they ordered at McDonalds will taste the same as they had when they ate it last, or one could have faith that the Big Mac WILL taste the same as they ate last. It's a very subtle difference but a big one in my opinion. Of course a lot of religions tend to use faith as a way to convince people to trust in their religion, which is kind of a "bad" thing in my opinion.

Hrm, you are using faith as a synonym of belief; they aren't quite the same--wrt to religion (or learning in general) faith is usually naming a belief or assent that something is true based on the authority of the one who has said it. Faith is slightly stronger than mere opinion; belief may be stronger than opinion, if one connects it to some sort of justification or warrant.

One could believe that the Big Mac will taste the same because the material used to make the burger and the procedures involved have been standardized by McD's. Or perhaps there is just a strong expectation based on experience.

So is there any warrant for thinking that better things will come?

[watcher]

^ insanity is when you do the same thing over and over again and expect different results

[gisbiz]

gosh, i'm always so hopeful! i don't know why??? i actually wish i wasn't though.

faith is difficult to explain. it all depends on the time, the day, the situation. ummm.... yeah.

[Prot]

What it comes down to is believe what you want to believe, facts will remain facts, and the past will remain as unchangable events that happened.

Definition of Hope: desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment
Definition of Faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof

What it comes down to is that faith you don't care about facts or proof against it, whereas hope you also don't care about facts or proof against it.

IE:
I hope that I will ace my exam.
I have faith that I will ace my exam.
I hope that I will succeed.
I have faith that I will succeed.

Sound similar? Main key difference is faith sounds more firm when its actually the same thing of believing something without the 100% chance of it happening or being true.

[cafe_addict]

Some would use it interchangeably because what they hope for rises from their faith in something.

[choEy]

... 151 does that to people.

heheh.

OT though.. all that i could think of at this moment has already been said so i'll add some humor^

[suki_*]

i think once you lose your faith... you can still have hope that better things will come.

[milk-o]

In law (at least here in the Philippines) it is a void contract to sell false hope, so I would have to disagree with your definition that faith is a belief in the things to come.

Hope is an assumption of acquiring a material fact, for example, we use hope in sentences such as, "I hope to get an iphone" or "I hope you'll change." It can be a tangible or an intangible material, but just the same, it is an assumption of what is to come, without any basis of making it a reality.

Faith, on the other hand, isn't a belief of something to come, because the idea in question already exists (i.e. faith in terms of religion or faith as an expression of support). The only catch is that it doesn't have a resolution so as to justify its existence. When one says he/she has faith in a particular religion, religion isn't a future thing, as it has long since existed, but since there is no resolution as to what religion really is and who or what is the form of the supreme being we may have, faith becomes a remedy to place direction within the person.

[alasam]

here's how i define it:

hope is merely optimism, whereas faith is conviction

i would rather have faith. hope can be fleeting, almost like an emotion. on the other hand, faith can really help you get through hard times. even when things are seemingly getting worse, you still have that conviction that things will eventually turn out for the best.

Well said.

I can't help but think of the scripture that says "faith is the substance of things hoped for, but not yet seen." For me, faith is more substantial and weightier than hope. There is a power in faith that does not exist in mere hope. Through faith and conviction there is a certainty in the things we believe in coming to pass, whereas hope simply acknowledges that there is a possibility that what we believe in can come to pass.

My faith rests in the Lord and his word and he's never failed me yet.

[Melyxcious]

To me, hope is like wishful thinking - and wishful thinking can lead to well... Disaster at times if you're not... careful (for lack of a better term). I'd rather have faith with me, knowing that I can get something rather than hoping for the best.

[Jeremiah]

I think that both is needed in ones life. One compliment the other.

[knockblock]

Which one is a want? Or both? Or neither?

[eclipsesque.]

i think once you lose your faith... you can still have hope that better things will come.

I'm second you (:

[mikomi]

Either way, both hope and faith are for things/situations that the individual does not have control over, or may have at one point but no longer does; it's a way to keep your mind. Does it matter which is better if the result will be out of your hands anyways? Whether you had hope FOR something or faith IN something, or you had hope for something you have faith in, bottom line is you had no control.