"So the question must be, were you even sincere when you said this or was this too a lie?"

Ah, the age old mind-f**k: "Everything I say is a lie." Always liked that one!

Sincerity is, like respect, something earned. You haven't earned it.

Now Mike is generally a sincere person worthy of it in return. I wonder if a certain amount is not a defence mechanism, but that's okay. Better than the alternative... Jim that's where you come in.

That said, it would be insincere of me to pander to his sincerity and overlook the blaringly confounding ruminations he published concerning the nature of grace, etc. Clearly the patterns left by dots once connected have not been erased by the "clarity" of distance. But I'm sure he will sort it. He's a good lad.

Now, on the question you asked about me helping him sort it out: that's just bait. He isn't about to open up to me any more than you are... no matter how sincere he appears.