Editing Eschatology (religious movement) (section)

==Beliefs of Eschatology==
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Since William Walter, who founded Eschatology, was a former Christian Scientist, there are some [[doctrine]]s which are shared by the two groups, though there are also many doctrinal differences as well.  For instance, both groups believe in the [[Bible]] and differ from [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalists]] in that they regard the Bible as having a symbolic meaning in addition to a literal one; they reject the physical existence of [[hell]] as [[Damnation|eternal damnation]]; and they also both regard Mary Baker Eddy as the re-discoverer of the "Science of Life" which they believe was taught by [[Jesus]] but lost in [[early Christianity]], and consider that Jesus healed by his knowledge of a Science of Life.  However, Walter also rejected much of what Eddy wrote, especially her [[theism]]. Walter's system strongly rejects the belief in a [[personal god]]. In the chapter "Experiments and experiences" of ''The Sickle'' Walter confess the extreme tribulation, or "mental warfare" as he called it, that he endured in the process of abandoning theism.  As a result Walter and the Eschatologists' view of God are much closer to [[New Thought]] and the [[New Age movement]]s than to [[Christian Science]] and [[Christianity]]; and The Walter Method is generally grouped with other New Thought groups such as the Church of Integration, the Infinite Way, and the Church of the Higher Life.<ref>Moore, Rebecca (2009). [https://www.academia.edu/14698165/The_Curious_Collection_of_Mr_Hyde_The_World_of_Western_Esotericism "The Curious Collection of Mr. Hyde: The World of Western Esotericism"]. ''Journal of Religious & Theological Information''. page 118.</ref>

Walter also believed in the existence of various controversial phenomena (such as what is generally known in the secular world as [[psychokinesis]] or telekinesis) and believed that these psychic abilities can supposedly be developed to the point of conquering old age and even death. He also believed that [[suffering]], especially [[disease]], occurs mentally first in belief, or fear in the reality of the problem, (what he called "wrong thinking") before being manifest on the body. Walter also developed the notion that after Eddy's death a conspiracy within the Christian Science church veiled the original meaning of the book ''[[Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures]]''.  Throughout his later career Walter maintained that in her unaltered writings Eddy's notion of God was [[nontheism|nontheistic]] and that, after the alteration, the writings were given a theistic taint.  However, there is no evidence that Eddy rejected the belief in a [[personal God]]; and Christian Scientists point to the fact that there is no evidence of alterations from Eddy's texts, since the editions of the texts printed before and after Eddy's death are the same.

Regarding the similarities between Eschatology and other [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] systems, in his 1993 book, the author [[Martin Gardner]] wrote that he "was astonished by the extent to which today's [[New Age]] fantasies were so thoroughly aired a hundred years ago by [[New Thought]] [[List of New Thought writers|leaders]]."<ref>{{cite book | last = Gardner| first = Martin| authorlink = Martin Gardner| title = The Healing Revelations of Mary Baker Eddy: The Rise and Fall of Christian Science| publisher = [[Prometheus Books]]| year = 1993| location = Buffalo, NY| url =https://archive.org/details/healingrevelatio00gard| url-access = registration| page = [https://archive.org/details/healingrevelatio00gard/page/9 9]| isbn = 9780879758387}} Chapter 14 is dedicated to "New Thought, Unity, and Ella Wheeler Wilcox"</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2025|reason=Book makes no mention of either Eschatology or William W. Walter}}