[Piers]

I do not see the relationship between religious belief or lack of, and hope that you seem to believe exist. You are asking a question that does not exist.

Hope is an emotion; and like all emotions it’s a devise the mind use to indirectly control our conscience behaviour. It motivates us to keep trying to achieve some goal, where we might otherwise give up. Hope needs to be attached to a goal to function correctly, the exact details varying depending on circumstance.

Hope is a tool the mind uses, it will continue to use hope to motivate us irrespective of the situation we are in. The goals might be different but the mechanism is the same.

Lack of hope is an indication of brain damage, not lack of religious belief.