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2000s

2000

January: The name Liahona is adopted by all LDS Church international magazines in all languages. January 1: "The Living Christ" is issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a declaration of LDS doctrine about Jesus. February: The 100 millionth Book of Mormon is printed. March 10: Release of God's Army, starting the Mormon cinema movement. April 1–2: LDS Conference Center hosts its first General Conference, which can now accommodate 21,000 attendees. April 6: Palmyra New York Temple is dedicated, which is broadcast to 1.5 million LDS members in Canada and the U.S. June 21: Announcement that Ricks College, an LDS Church-run junior college in Rexburg, Idaho, will become a four-year university by the end of 2001. September: Most LDS Church members are not English speakers, reflecting its growth outside the USA. October 1: The Boston Massachusetts Temple is dedicated and becomes the church's 100th operating temple. Fall: Swahili translation of the Book of Mormon. December 29: Book of Mormon is translated into 100 languages, with the publishing of Eastern Armenian, Amharic, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Xhosa.

2001

January 20: Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings at the United States presidential inauguration of George W. Bush. April 6: Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) changes its name to Community of Christ to differentiate itself from the LDS Church. March 30: Release of Brigham City, murder mystery set in Mormon community. March 31: The Perpetual Education Fund is established. August 7: Sea Trek 2001 launches from Denmark, eventually to arrive in New York City on October 4. August 10: Ricks College officially becomes Brigham Young University-Idaho. November 22: Confessions of a Mormon Boy by Steven Fales opens (later becoming an off Broadway show), dealing with Fales' homosexuality, and disaffection with the church. December 14: Release of The Other Side of Heaven, which becomes the highest grossing Mormon-themed movie of all time. BYU Jerusalem Center is closed due to Second Intifada. American Sign Language, Gilbertese and Mongolian translations of Book of Mormon.

2002

February 1: Release of the film The Singles Ward, which is successful within the Mormon community. February 8–24: Salt Lake City hosts the 2002 Winter Olympics. Although hit by a bid scandal, the games were generally given great reviews. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir received worldwide attention for their role in the games. Utah's history was also widely publicized. May 22: Missionary Training Center opens in Ghana, the first in Africa. June 5: Elizabeth Smart kidnapping. The perpetrator, Brian David Mitchell, had been raised in a mainline LDS family, but taken to polygamous beliefs. June 27: The rebuilt Nauvoo Temple is dedicated. October 5: At General Conference, M. Russell Ballard calls for "raising the bar" on standards for LDS missionary applicants. Tok Pisin translation of Book of Mormon.

2003 January 31: Release of The R.M., a comedy film. July 15: Under the Banner of Heaven is published by noted author Jon Krakauer. It juxtaposes the history of LDS Church, and a modern double murder committed in the name of God by brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who subscribed to a fundamentalist version of Mormonism. The church issued an official statement criticizing historical errors in the book and its anti-religion tone."Church Response to Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven", June 27, 2003, LDS Newsroom, LDS Church. July 9: Apia Samoa Temple burns down during renovations, and is later rebuilt. August 7: The Osmond Family were honored for their achievements in the entertainment industry with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. September 12: Release of The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey. Despite being panned by critics, it made a surplus at the end of its theatrical run.Box Office Mojo:Book of Mormon Movie November 12: Mormon Tabernacle Choir receives the National Medal of Arts, presented by U.S. President George W. Bush. November 19: All About Mormons episode of South Park airs. Tswana, Zulu and Marshallese translations of the Book of Mormon.

2004

January 11: The Accra Ghana Temple is dedicated, the first in "black" Africa. March 24: A resolution from the Illinois legislature expresses regret for expelling the Mormons after the death of Joseph Smith. April 3: Creation of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy.Alternate date of April 21 is given in: June 11: Release of Napoleon Dynamite, a mainstream film set in a Mormon community, by Jared Hess. It made more than a hundred times its original budget. June 23: U.S. President George W. Bush awards LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the United States, recognizing his work in humanitarian aid and worldwide education funding. July 21: LDS apostle Neal A. Maxwell dies. July 31: LDS apostle David B. Haight dies. August 1: One million LDS Church members in Mexico. August 7: The last official performance of the pageant City of Joseph is held in Nauvoo, Illinois. It is replaced in 2005 with a new pageant commemorating Joseph Smith's 200th birthday. October 2: Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar are sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Uchtdorf is the first Apostle born outside North America since John A. Widtsoe died in 1952. November 6: Missionary discussions are replaced by Preach My Gospel, a new program emphasizing "teaching by the Spirit." November 24: The Work and the Glory, a film based on Gerald N. Lund's novel, is released. It is Mormon cinema's 2nd biggest box office hit, and only the second LDS film to top $3 million in theaters, along with The Other Side of Heaven (2001).Christian Movies November 30: Ken Jennings, a Mormon, ends his record-breaking 74-game winning streak on the TV show Jeopardy!.

2005

January 3: Harry Reid, a Mormon convert from Nevada, becomes the top Democrat in the United States Senate. April 19: The Seventh and Eighth Quorums of Seventy are created. May 6–7: "The Worlds of Joseph Smith" conference at the Library of Congress hosts leading scholars on Mormonism's founding prophet. July–August: First annual Nauvoo Pageant held in Nauvoo, Illinois, in honor of Joseph Smith's 200th birthday. September 4: Mormon Stories Podcast is launched. September 27: Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling is published by Knopf. December 23: The 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth is celebrated, preceded by a variety of events throughout the year. Tamil translation of the Book of Mormon.

2006 March 12: First broadcast of HBO's Big Love, a series about Mormon fundamentalists in Utah. The LDS Church criticizes the show for not differentiating clearly between mainstream and schismatic Mormonism. An LDS Church public statement cites concerns over the program's depiction of abuse, polygamy, use of stereotypes, and television's depiction of moral and civic values in general."Church Responds to Questions on HBO's Big Love", press release, churchofjesuschrist.org, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, March 6, 2006. In March 2009, the LDS Church stated that HBO displayed insensitivity to church members by depicting simulated segments of the church's Endowment ceremony in an episode of Big Love.Jennifer Dobner, "HBO Vs. The Mormons In Battle Over Temple Ceremony", Huffington Post, March 11, 2009.Vince Horiuchi, "LDS Temple secrets? 'Big Love' TV episode angers Mormons: TV show to air Sunday reportedly depicts faith's endowment ceremony" , Salt Lake Tribune, March 12, 2009."LDS Church comments on 'Big Love'", Deseret News, March 9, 2009. The church also stated that the show had continued to blur the distinction between the LDS Church and "the show's fictional non-Mormon characters." June 9: BYU Jerusalem Center re-opens. June 29: The LDS Church announces that the Church College of New Zealand will not admit more students and eventually close. August 29: Warren Jeffs, leader of the FLDS Church, is arrested after being on the FBI's Most Wanted List for nearly 4 months. He faced sexual charges in Arizona, Utah, and Texas. September 3: Gordon B. Hinckley dedicates the Sacramento California Temple, the LDS Church's 123rd temple. October 22: Gordon B. Hinckley dedicates the Helsinki Finland Temple, the LDS Church's 124th temple. October: The Book of Mormon's introduction is modified to say the Lamanites "are among the ancestors of the American Indians," replacing the statement that "they are the principal ancestors." This is seen as a reaction to recent geography and DNA studies.

2007

February 13: Mitt Romney announces his candidacy for the 2008 Republican nomination for President of the United States. Coming from a prominent Mormon family, Romney was a devout member and former local church leader. His faith was a frequent high-profile issue and troubled some voters. He usually avoided discussing Mormon doctrines, but on December 6 Romney attempted to settle concerns in a speech entitled "Faith in America". February 13: Utah State University names Philip Barlow as their first professor of Mormon Studies, the first at a secular university. April 30 – May 1: PBS broadcasts The Mormons, a four-hour documentary about the LDS Church, featuring numerous interviews of major scholars, church members, and top leaders. June 26: LDS Church announces it has called its one millionth missionary. August 10: James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the church's First Presidency, dies. September 11: The Mountain Meadows massacre 150th anniversary memorial is held, with descendants of the victims and LDS leaders attending. A statement by Henry B. Eyring expresses regret, meant as an apology. October 6: Henry B. Eyring is sustained as Second Counselor in the First Presidency. October 6: Quentin L. Cook is sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. October 15: Release of Passage to Zarahemla, a children's film. According to BoxOfficeMojo the film ranks 46th on the all-time highest gross box office for a Christian film coming in just behind Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy, and in the top 100 for "Fantasy Live-Action." October 19: Claremont Graduate University names Richard L. Bushman as their first professor of Mormon Studies, to start Fall 2008. Urdu and Yoruba translations of the Book of Mormon.

2008

January 10: Mormon Times founded. January 27: Gordon B. Hinckley, the 15th president of the LDS Church, dies. February 3: Thomas S. Monson becomes 16th president of the LDS Church, with Henry B. Eyring and Dieter F. Uchtdorf as his counselors in the First Presidency. February 7: Mitt Romney, withdraws his presidential bid, following victories by John McCain in the Super Tuesday primaries. February 10: Thomas S. Monson dedicates the Rexburg Idaho Temple, the LDS Church's 125th temple. March 4: Craig Jessop, director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, resigns abruptly. April 3: The FLDS Church's compound nearby Eldorado, Texas is raided by officers of the State of Texas, acting on a call reporting child abuse. 533 women and children were removed from the ranch. April 5: D. Todd Christofferson is sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. April 5: The Vatican issued a statement calling the practice known as baptism for the dead "erroneous" and directing its dioceses to keep parish records from Mormons performing genealogical research. June 1: Thomas S. Monson dedicates the Curitiba Brazil Temple, the LDS Church's 126th temple. August: Sinhala translation of the Book of Mormon. August 10: Thomas S. Monson dedicates the Panama City Panama Temple, the LDS Church's 127th temple. August 24: Thomas S. Monson dedicates the Twin Falls Idaho Temple, the LDS Church's 128th temple and 4th temple in Idaho.