I think hope is believing in something without being certain of the outcome.

Faith "is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." -Hebrews 11:1

Charity is not as important as faith, but I think faith brings the desire to be charitable.

I love Autumn's definitions of faith and hope.  This is what I know.  I was slipping into a deep and extremely hopeless depression and the thing that saved me was having faith in God (knowing that there was a higher power and believing that it was strong enough to help me).   Feebly trying to feed that faith led me to look for simple acts of service to give to others.  In other words faith, hope and charity.  I'm not sure exactly how to define them, if one is better than another or how they work.  But I do know that they carry a divine power.

Thanks for the opportunity to remember that dark time and the pathway out.

Autumn and Karin, thank you for responding. I am honored to read your personal insights on a subject I think a lot about.

I love this sort of discussion.

What are YOUR thoughts on the subject, Cjane?

Faith comes first as a gift that brings hope.  When they get married inside a soul, charity is born.  After the gift of faith, our actions and decisions cultivate all three virtues to a higher level.  Eventually charity will come naturally, then it's necessary because the soul can't bare to be without the joy that giving of itself brings. 

I just took ambien so please pardon the wordiness.

Without faith, there can not be hope... (Moroni chapter 7 verse 42). Charity is the greatest of them all (Moroni 7:46, see verses 42-48 for a discussion of all 3 principles). 

I Karen is right, that faith in God... in his great power and love for us, is what gives us hope. But if we don't have charity, it doesn't really matter what we do have. Without charity we would have no reason to do any good,and no happiness could possibly come without doing acts of love /service for others.

That's my two cents... for what it's worth. ;)

Corine :D