21st century (Mormonism)

Pre-fire Apia Samoa temple

2000s

2000

• June 21: The Church announces that Ricks College, a Church-run junior college in Rexburg, Idaho, will become a four-year university by the end of 2001.
• October 1: The Boston Massachusetts Temple is dedicated and becomes the Church's 100th operating temple.
• Release of God's Army

2001

• March 31: The Perpetual Education Fund is established.
• August 10: Ricks College officially becomes Brigham Young University-Idaho.
• December 14: Release of The Other Side of Heaven, which becomes the highest grossing Mormon themed movie of all time.
• Release of Brigham City, murder mystery set in Mormon community.
• First performance of Confessions of a Mormon Boy by Steven Fales, an off Broadway show, which deals with Fales' homosexuality, and disaffection with the church.
• Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center closed due to Second Intifada.

2002

• February 8–24: Salt Lake City hosts the 2002 Winter Olympics.
• June 27: The rebuilt Nauvoo Temple is dedicated.
• Release of The Singles Ward, which is successful within the Mormon community.

2003

• July: Under the Banner of Heaven published. It is a juxtaposition of two stories: the origin and evolution of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), 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 on it, saying:

"although the book may appeal to gullible persons who rise to such bait like trout to a fly hook, serious readers who want to understand Latter-day Saints and their history need not waste their time on it".

• July 9: Apia Samoa Temple burns down in renovations, and is later rebuilt.
• September 12: Release of The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. 1: The Journey. The movie was widely panned by Mormon and non-Mormon critics alike.
• November: All About Mormons episode of South Park airs.
• Release of the The R.M..

2004

• January 11: Accra Ghana Temple, the first in "black" Africa.
• June 11: Release of Napoleon Dynamite, a mainstream film set in a Mormon community, by Jared Hess. It is a runaway success, making more than a hundred times its original budget.
• June 23: George W. Bush, President of the United States, awards Gordon B. Hinckley, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded by the United States, in a ceremony at the White House. The press release put forth by the White House states:

"Gordon B. Hinckley [...] has inspired millions and has led efforts to improve humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and education funding across the globe."

• July 21: Elder Neal A. Maxwell dies.
• July 31: Elder David B. Haight dies.
• August 7: The last official performance of the pageant City of Joseph is held in Nauvoo, Illinois. It is to be replaced in 2005 with a new pageant commemorating Joseph Smith's 200th birthday.
• October 7: Dieter F. Uchtdorf and David A. Bednar are ordained Apostles and join the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after being sustained on October 2.
• November 24: The Work and the Glory, a biopic of Joseph Smith 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. The Other Side of Heaven is the only other film to do so.

2005

• March 15: Tenth anniversary of Gordon B. Hinckley's ordination as President of the Church.
• July-August: First annual Nauvoo Pageant held in Nauvoo, Illinois in honor of Joseph Smith's 200th birthday.
• Mormon author Stephanie Meyer's book Twilight becomes an instant best seller. It has since been translated into 37 different languages.

2006

• March 12: First broadcast of Big Love a series about a Mormon fundamentalist. The show is criticised for not differentiating properly between mainstream and schismatic Mormonism. The LDS Church issued a public statement citing concerns over the program's depiction of abuse, polygamy, use of stereotypes, and television's depiction of moral and civic values in general. Among other things, the church stated, "Despite its popularity with some, much of today’s television entertainment shows an unhealthy preoccupation with sex, coarse humor and foul language. Big Love, like so much other television programming, is essentially lazy and indulgent entertainment that does nothing for our society and will never nourish great minds." In March 2009, the LDS Church stated that HBO's writers, producers, and executives were displaying insensitivity to church members by choosing to display simulated segments of the LDS Church's Endowment ceremony in an episode of Big Love. The LDS Church also stated that the show had continued to blur the distinction between the LDS Church and "the show's fictional non-Mormon characters."
• 29 June: Church College of New Zealand announces it will take no more students.
• June 9: Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center re-opens.

2007

• August 10: President James E. Faust (Second Counselor) dies.
• October 6: Elder Henry B. Eyring is sustained as Second Counselor in the First Presidency.
• October 6: Elder Quentin L. Cook is sustained as a member of 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.

2008

• January 27: President Gordon B. Hinckley dies.
• February 3: President Thomas S. Monson becomes President of the Church.
• February 3: President Henry B. Eyring and President Dieter F. Uchtdorf are called as the First and Second Counselors in the First Presidency.
• March 4: Craig Jessop director of Orchestra at Temple Square resigns abruptly.
• November: California Proposition 8 opposing Same Sex Marriage in the American state is supported by the church. At an LDS church in Orangevale (in Sacramento County), vandals spray-painted in red letters on the front sign and sidewalk: "No on 8" and "No on Prop 8". An affiliate group of the Radical Trans/Queer organization Bash Back! claims to have poured glue into the locks of an LDS church and spray painted its walls.
• November 17: Twilight an adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's novel becomes a huge success. It grosses over US$392 million worldwide. It was released on DVD March 21, 2009, and became the most purchased DVD of the year. The soundtrack was released on November 4, 2008. It is notable in Mormon terms as it reflects church attitudes towards sex and chastity.
• Mormon Times founded.

2009

• June: Aba Nigeria Temple closes due to violence in region.
• September 29: Deseret Digital Media established.
• Church College of New Zealand closes.

2010

• June: Reunion tour of Mormon Youth Symphony and Chorus.

2011

• March 24: The Book of Mormon musical premiers on Broadway. It is written by South Park creators Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. The show lampoons Mormonism and traditional musical theatre, reflecting the creators' lifelong fascination with the church and musicals.

See also

• 19th century (Mormonism)
• 20th century (Mormonism)