Some major religious news has rocked Nevada and other parts of the country. In early November, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced that children living in same-sex households may not be blessed as babies or baptized. The Church also announced that same-sex marriage is a sin worthy of expulsion.

“A natural or adopted child of a parent living in a same-gender relationship, whether the couple is married or cohabiting, may not receive a name and a blessing,” the new Mormon Church rule reads.

The Church will only allow children in these circumstances to have their baptismals once they turn 18, renounce same-sex cohabitation and marriage, and leave their parents’ home. Even then, the baptisms would require the approval of the Church’s governing First Presidency. Following the resulting outrage over the announcement, Church leadership made a minor tweak to clarify that children who are already part of the Church would not be kicked out.

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Along with this change, the Church also assigned same-sex marriage to the list of acts considered renunciations of the Mormon faith. As a result, those who enter into same-sex marriages are subject to such Church discipline as excommunication.

So why these changes and why now? According to the Associated Press, Church leaders said the changes were necessary to, “reiterate the conservative faith’s doctrinal opposition to gay marriage and provide clarity to lay leaders around the globe asking questions after last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriages.”

Now because these new rules are only in the Church handbook and are therefore not considered doctrinal change, Mormon leaders can revise these policies if they so choose to. Many Mormons are calling for them to do exactly that.

On Nov. 14, more than 1,000 protesters gathered outside the Church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, many of them standing in line to submit their resignations. As of Nov. 15, 1,500 Mormons have quit the Church over the new rules, this according to Reuters.

Due to Nevada’s sizeable Mormon population, this is a story Gay Vegas will continue to follow closely.