Disciplined litigation, vigilant litigation, and deformation: Dramatic organization change in Jehovah's witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses' long-term development presents an interesting case of evolution in line with the "deformation thesis," an attempt at explaining d ramatic shifts in organizational forms, activities, and even beliefs in con troversial religious minorities. Derived from resource mobilization traditi on, this thesis assumes that radical transformations result from major defe nsive resource allocation mandated by negative reactions of societal instit utions. This is especially the case with reference to the adoptation by Jeh ovah's Witnesses, a millenarian group, of a "disciplined litigation" strate gy in the 1940s, a pattern later to be incorporated in religious activities and beliefs of the organization. Today, disciplined litigation and its suc cessor, "vigilant litigation," seem legitimate ways to adapt to the prevail ing religious climate and structure. As such, it can be conceived as a mode l for defensive moves taken by "younger" controversial religious minorities and reflects the enormous influence of the law and legal systems in shapin g minority religions.