Eternalism

Eternalism is a view in the philosophy of time according to which the past, present and future are all equally real. To clearly distinguish it from presentism, the view carries an ontological committment to more than just the present instant or moment.

Often eternalism is associated with an anti-realism about 'tense', which is to say that often an eternalist will deny that temporal terms like 'past', 'present' and 'future' denote parts of reality to which they directly correspond. At best, such terms are used as a convenient short-hand for time earlier, later, or simultaneous with the time at which a speaker uses such a temporal term in an utterance of a sentence.

The conjunction of anti-realism about tense plus eternalism plus the assumption that reality contains no incoherencies is often called the 'b-series' view of time.

Eternalism in relation to Buddhism is the doctrine of eternal things or eternal life. The idea of the eternal soul is a perfect example of this. Buddhism however rejects eternalism along with nihilism. The rejection is based on the notion that when an object is analysed into elements, no eternal parts or eternal existence can be found.

Eternalism is also a description-synonym for the doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . B. H. Roberts said:

Eternalism is the term I would select as the best descriptive word for New Dispensation philosophy; for that term best represents its concepts: an eternal universe, with no beginning and no end: Eternal intelligence, working in eternal duration, without beginning or ending, and without ultimates, and hence eternal progression running parallel with eternal lives; and an eternal or "everlasting" gospel, offering eternal opportunities for righteousness; eternal existence of mercy, justice, wisdom, truth and love; all accompanied by eternal relations, associations, unions--eternal youth, and eternal glory! (Comprehensive History of the Church 2:410-411)

See also Seventy’s Course in Theology, 3:148; The Truth, The Way, The Life, chapter 7; John A. Widtsoe, Rational Theology, chapter 3; John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, chapter 2.