The Core teachings that have a hold on JWs:
~ Only JWs have the true religion.
You're not really a christian if you're not a JW. It is assumed that you're in a false religion if you're not a JW. Having an approved relationship with God necessitates being a JW. To leave the JW religion is equated with leaving God. It does not matter how scriptural your religious beliefs are. It does not matter how clean your life is. As long as you're not a JW it is assumed that you're in need of "The Truth". JWs are it and everyone else is s#it! If you're not a JW you have no valid hope of surviving Armageddon. Buying into this crap causes you to be enslaved to the JW religion. You can see the many errors in the relgion and think to yourself: "where else am I to go? Who else has the truth? I'm going to stay and 'wait on Jehovah'"
~ Christ's presence started invisibly in 1914.
This is perhaps the teaching that is most unique or peculiar to JWs. The outbreak of WWI in 1914 gives JWs teh false impression that they accurately predicted the date of 1914. WWI serves as a false confirmation of an otherwise kooky doctrine. 1914 is used as the starting point of christ's presence and the last days. Coupled with the "this generation" teaching it serves to stir up fear of the imminence of the end. Wow! It's been a whole century since the last days begun. "'This generation' is well along in years - the end must be so, so, so close now! Now is not the time to slow down in the preaching work or stop serving Jehovah! I don't want to be found outside the organization and the end come suddently and catch me by surprise!"
~ The JW organization is God's spirit directed organization.
This teaching is used to imbue the organization with divine authority so that all JWs will submit to its teachings and organizational direction with the same unconditional obedience and loyalty that one is supposed to give to God himself. The direction coming from the organization is often spoken of as coming from Jehovah. To disobey the organization is to disobey Jehovah. To leave the organization is to leave Jehovah. Who would dare to spurn almight God himself?
~ The leadership of the JW organization was appointed as the faithful and discreet slave by Christ.
This teaching serves a similar function as the preceding one - it is used to imbue the Governing Body with exclusive divine authority. Disobey the Governing Body and it's as if you're disobeying Jesus and Jehovah. Refuse to accept a teaching printed in the literatue and its as if you're refusing to comply with the divine arrangement to be fed with food at the proper time by the 'faithful and discreet slave'. "The reason I don't understand this new teaching is that I just need to study the Watchtower publications more. I have not been feeding enough on the food provided by the faithful and discreet slave so my powers of spiritual discernment have gotten a little dull. It's all my fault - not that the teaching is wrong. And even if it were it would be no reason to not loyally go along with the divinely constituted 'faithful and discreet slave' arrangement - Jehovah would offer clarification in time if needed."
~ JWs are to be no part of the world.
JWs are encouraged to loathe the world. Non-JWs are religous slurred with the term "worldly". If you are not a JW then by default you are "worldy" and "bad association" to be avoided as much as is practically possible. JWs are not to express any political opinions or get involved in any social issues or controversies of the world. If slavery were still legal, JWs would not be allowed to campaign against it! JWs are not to follow fashion trends or fads - even if the fashion is not inherently immodest in and of itself. Being different to everyone else is seen as a noble end in and of itself. They refuse to use the religous jargon of other denominations - "grace", "bishop", "church", etc are words they refuse to use in relation to their own religion. They even refuse to observe holidays that do not have any religious or pagan origins. The slightest hint of historical assocation with pagan practices - however vague and however speculative - is used as an excuse to refrain from otherwise perfectly innocuous activities. They look for any and every excuse to be different by refraining from activities engaged in by the majority. Being no part of the world is taken to extreme heights of self-righteousness not seen since the time of the pharisees. All of this serves to imbue the JW with a sense of self-righteous separateness from everyone else and allows them to lump everyone else in the same derogatory category of "the world".
~ Preaching house to house is a must for all christians that are able to.
"Who else is doing the preaching work?" When a JW asks this question, know that he's referring specifically to preaching from house to house. They see this specific method of preaching as being a must for all true christians. Their feeling is, if you're not doing this specific method of preaching then you're not fulfilling the commision to preach. They make the unsubstantiated assertion that Jesus and the apostles preached from house to house. Strangely, they can't find a single scripture with a detailed description of Jesus or any of this apostles systematically going from door to door preaching to strangers (Acts 20:20 and Acts 5:42 are not conclusive, as they could just as easily be a reference to early congregation meetings which were held in the houses of various believers.). Instead the bible is filled with fairly detailed accounts of public preaching. John 18:20 even quotes Jesus himself as saying that he always preached publicly! But the deluded JW thinks to himself that JWs must be the true religion because they alone are going from house to house.
