Do you have a secular sponsor?
 

How did you find/choose a sponsor?

If you do not have a secular sponsor has that been an issue?

Have you sponsored other seculars?

have you sponsored non-seculars?

basically...lets talk sponsorship!

At a BB study meeting, I heard a woman share and was inspired by her. I like how she talked program and spirituality in a way that was very attractive to me and in no way off-putting or religious. I asked her to sponsor me. Although she is non-secular and church-going, it has had no bearing on our work together. We have been together for over 4 years.

I now sponsor women, from militant atheist to devout religious. My job is to carry the message of the steps to the still suffering alcoholic. I am not a life-coach or counselor. I am only a handrail for the taking of the steps. Each has her own conception of HP/higher-self/universe/nonEGO and it is not me.

Mine is a daily choice (step 3): finite self or infinite universe. Considering the possibilities out there, it is easy to turn over life and will. For me. I have not found "secular vs non" to matter.

:)

I heard a guy once say the only thing he believed to start with was the first sentence of How It Works:

"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path."

He went on to say that was good enough to start with.

Layla N is not exactly a secular sponsor, but she does sponsor a lot of secular women. She has what I would call a five star open talk about this at:

Southern Ontario Cocaine Anonymous Convention 2009

My secular sponsor found me...a mess...at a convention. Just got to talking and I told him I felt lost and desperate and had recently been let go by my sponsor. He said he would sponsor me, and forward we went!

We share a lot of similar beliefs, but really it didn't come up much in our step work so I wouldn't say it's much of an issue.

I have found generally that when the subject of religion and specific faith doesn't come up, when we focus on the steps...it's pretty much a non issue on either side, but when someone brings up religion, or starts asking religious questions, one or another or both sides get sidetracked in defending, explaining or critiquing beliefs.

None of my sponsors have been secular. I asked my first sponsor to work with me because we were both young and there weren't that many young people around at the time. My next two sponsors, the relationship was there before it became anything formal. Right now, I'm in what is more or less a co-sponsor relationship with a friend who's a Pagan.

I'm sponsoring some guys who are most definitely not secular. It's not my place to tell them who or what is their HP. The only HP I need to be concerned with is mine. Religion almost never comes up - it's an outside issue.

-allan