SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A religious scholar says the decision by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to repeal rules banning baptisms for children of gay parents and making gay marriage a sin eligible for expulsion marks a complete reset for the faith on LGBTQ issues.

Patrick Mason of Claremont Graduate University in California says the policy unveiled in 2015 was deeply unpopular among members of the faith, triggering displeasure and protests from many liberal and conservative members.

He says the policy hurt the church’s image and relationship with many members.

Mason says the repeal erases the one major detour from a decade-long path by the faith to carve out a more open and compassionate position on LGBTQ issues while sticking to doctrinal opposition of gay marriage and intimacy between people in same-sex relationships.