How I See Easter Now That I’m No Longer a Christian

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When I was little, I don’t know if I knew much about Easter aside from getting to wear nice clothes on that day. As I got older, though, I started to become more aware of its deeper meaning. And I saw Easter in the traditional way.

But several years ago, I went through a spiritual crisis that turned my spiritual world upside down. I’ve since managed to pull myself out of the worst of that crisis. But the journey resulted in me leaving Christianity for spirituality.

Although I’m no longer Christian, I still find myself wanting to see special significance in Easter. That’s likely at least partly because I was Christian for such a long time. But because I’ve shifted so much of what I believe about religion, Easter doesn’t have the same significance for me as it once did.

How I See Easter Now

Instead of seeing Easter as a celebration of a literal resurrection, now I see it as a celebration of the spirit of resurrection.

I see Easter as a time to remember dreams you thought were long gone but that you can still choose to follow. Or relationships you thought were completely over but that you can still give life to. Or even parts of yourself you thought you lost but that you can reclaim.

To celebrate the spirit of resurrection is to remember that the end doesn’t have to be the end. Things can come back to life. Relationships can come back to life. Dreams can come back to life.

So, if you’re no longer Christian or if you’re not religious but would still like to have something to celebrate around Easter, I invite you to reflect on dreams you may have given up on. Maybe now you think it’s too late to go back to them. But is it really? Is there a way you can resurrect those dreams?

Or think about a relationship that ended but whose ending felt wrong—like there’s still more to the story. Is it possible to bring it back to life? I agree with walking away from unhealthy or one-sided relationships. But if the reason the relationship ended was because of fear or a misunderstanding or poor timing or something that can be rectified, is this something you could initiate?

Or think about parts of yourself that you abandoned for one reason or another. Maybe you felt like your friends and family didn’t approve of those parts. Or maybe you had to abandon them to fit into a certain societal mold. If these parts are important to you, is there a way to reclaim them? (For help rediscovering these parts of yourself, you can check out this post for a list of 12 journal prompts you can respond to.)

And you don’t have to only think about things you could resurrect. You can also reflect on instances where you’ve already witnessed resurrection in your own life. Maybe you’ve been able to go after dreams you had initially cast aside. Or maybe you’ve been able to restore broken relationships or forgotten sides of you.

Any form of meaningful resurrection reflects the spirit of resurrection. And for me now, that’s what Easter is a celebration of.

What This Means for Others Who Are No Longer Christian

If you’re navigating the transition out of Christianity, you might find yourself wondering how to look at religious holidays like Easter that may have once held a certain meaning to you. You may even feel a desire to celebrate at that time, only you don’t know what you would be celebrating.

In that case, I would encourage you to find new meaning in those holidays. Just take time to ponder what they mean for you now. The previous meaning might have been more on the literal side. Now you can try to see if there’s a more symbolic meaning you can associate with them.

And if you find the idea of celebrating the spirit of resurrection around Easter appealing, by all means feel free to adopt that meaning for yourself.

Final Thoughts

When going from being a Christian to no longer practicing Christianity, a lot of things about the way you live your life will probably change. But as you navigate this transition, you don’t have to completely abandon everything about Christianity. You’re free to hold onto the parts that still have meaning for you.

Easter still has meaning to me but not in a literal sense like before. Now I see Easter as a symbolic celebration of the spirit of resurrection. And if you’re a former Christian who’s looking for a new meaning to give Easter, you might want to consider the role resurrection has played or could play in your own life.

~ Ashley C.

P.S. Although I’ve found it both freeing and rewarding to go from Christianity to spirituality, the journey hasn’t been without its challenges. That’s why I now offer spiritual coaching services to help Christians make this shift. If you’re interested, simply click here to learn more.