For the Watchtower Society doctrine has been a millstone because as a publishing organisation survival depends on writing and this inevitably means changing doctrines*. Otherwise there would have come a point where nobody would buy their books - end of story. Of course they could just publish Reader's Digest type stuff, but before long people would find better sources of general interest, i.e., the Reader's Digest. Since the WT CD ROM was published and the explosion of the Internet 'apostasy', like no time ever before in their history, that millstone has become especially heavy, because every tortured doctrinal twist can be easily traced, and even more easily posted on the Internet.
But doctrines have also defined The Society giving identity and purpose to the people who are controlled by it. They have marked the line between 'the world' and Jehovah's Witnesses. So from the point of view of The Society, their doctrines have been more socially necessary than evil.
If the above is true, I am wondering how they can hope to stop the membership slide in the western world, without bringing in significant doctrinal changes. Remember, publishing is their raison d'être. If the Good News is only good, it won't cut the muster: it has to be seen as NEWS.
philo
Philo's pondering post-amble: (To a religion doctrines are necessary evils. It's like making laws: they attempt to patch up problems that can't be fixed any better way. That's one side. The other is, they nail down the spirit of a religion.) Am I right?