Parting Glances: JHVH's Door Bell Trade

It's hard to say if it's a good thing or an alarming thing, a plus or a minus for the city of Detroit, but there are 90,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in town for a second convention go around in two months.
When the JWs – everybody's unrelenting religious DBT (door bell trade) – were here in June the downtown area swarmed with 40,000 of these end times, apocalyptic zealots.
From my studio front porch vantage point, I'm counting the dozen or more Trinity Transportation buses that are dropping off and picking up these seemingly happy, conservatively dressed conventioneers in front of the parking structure across from me.
There's a certain irony in the mode of pick up and deliverance by these rental yellow buses in that the JWs do not believe in the traditional Christian Trinity.
They also don't believe in a literal Hell, don't believe that Jesus is God don't celebrate Christmas or family birthdays,and are looking forward – eagerly, warning all in earshot – that a vindictive, vengeful Armageddon is just around the corner. (Misery loves company school of Christianity.)
JWs, like so many end-times American-founded millennialist religions – Seventh Day Adventist, Christadelphians, Worldwide Church of God and a host of other Left Behind fundygelicals – thrive and grow in times of global trouble, polar vortexes and political Tea Bagger disasters.
Back in the days of World War I, the JW recruitment campaign slogan was, "Millions Now Living Will Never Die!" These biblical alarmists at Bethel World Headquarters, Brooklyn, New York, predicted Jehovah's army of avenging angels would settle the score in 1914, then changed battle dates to 1925, 1950 and 1975.
The JWs no longer predict a specific trumpet shout for Armageddon, but tell any and all who will listen – or better still, purchase copies of Awake! and Watch Tower – ad nauseam – that it's time to repent, especially gays and lesbians. (They're currently sorting through 'transgenderism.' Oral sex was debated ten years ago.)
May I say, to the JW's credit, that a real plus for them as an American-based religion is that they don't get involved in politics. Theirs is a faith that truly practices – albeit by doctrinal default – separation of Church and State.
(JWs also don't salute the flag, say the Pledge of Allegiance or stand for the Star Spangled Banner, whether or not Aretha Franklin or Lady Gaga sings it. They do however drink alcohol. God knows it helps.)
I've been privileged to become artist friends with two ex JWs, Carl and Mariuca Wilson. Carl's a former elder; Mariuca, a once privileged member for several years of Bethel Headquarter staff. They met, fell in love, came to eventually realize that the JW theocracy was controlling and damaging to theirs and others' wellbeing and mental health.
Carl and Maricua left the JWs, married and have since been disfellowshiped. No JW will associate with them. Carl's brother, well-known Ferndale massage therapist Steve, is gay, and Carl and Mariuca also left painfully saddened by the suicide death of a young gay kid who was told his life was an abomination to his doorbell ringing JHVH god. (Buzz off! Big Guy.)