Deviance is described to be violations of the norm in society (Henslin, 2015). What is considered deviant behavior to some, may not be deviant to others. Deviant behavior is often thought to be a violent behavior, though this may be true in some cases it is definitely not true in all cases (Henslin, 2015). Marriage has commonly been considered to be a union between a man and a woman. In current times, this is changing with the legalization of gay marriage. The thought of same-sex marriage has been fought for decades. As of now, society has been forced to accept that marriage legally can be the union of any two persons, now that federal law has established this. However, some religious groups still oppose this and consider it to be a deviant …show more content…
Most religious groups feel that the principle of marriage is that of God, not a principle of state or law (Bowden, n.d.). With this belief, to them, it does not matter if it is a legal union or not, they will not recognize it (Bowden, n.d.). Some non-supporters believe that marriage is so deep rooted in mankind that it is governed not even by religion, but simply by natural law (Porter, 2010). From the natural law perspective, the purpose of marriage is to have procreate for the human race, educate children, establish social institutions, achieve financial stability and have a monogamous partnership (Porter, 2010). Those who feel very strongly about heterosexual marriage believe that any same-sex couple should not be able to have children because it offers a negative experience by denying every child either a mother or a father. Additionally, children raised by same-sex parents will grow to believe that it is normal to have a gay relationship rather than a heterosexual one (Bowden, n.d.). This would imply that being gay is something that is taught, not a trait that you are born into. Furthermore, they believe that same-sex couples are more promiscuous, therefore, weakening the level of commitment that marriage creates for our society (Bowen,