From the Book of just me wrote:I think the important thing is to write what is in your heart. Write to inspire and motivate and uplift.
Do not pretend for your sacred text to be anything it is not. People write what I would consider sacred writings all the time and it's totally uncontroversial.
There will always be haters. Every book has its critics. Don't worry about that. Write to your audience.
I think that a lot of sacred texts have to do with the ego, mindfulness, inner knowing and things that pertain only to the individual.
Certainly we see lots of rules of conduct and punishments in certain scriptures, but there is a big wide world of sacred text out there.
I also would agree that there seems to be an "us vs them" mentality or an elitist quality to most sacred texts and most expecially most, if not all, religions and even philosophies. That is what basically turned me off of all organized religious thought. Although, we see it even in nationalism. It seems to be hard for humans to avoid.
Zee, I would like to suggest the idea that Her words are written in your heart already...and perhaps that She resides there, as well.
It looks like just me beat you to it, Zeez.
Honestly, there are modern material that I consider on par with scripture. In most cases it includes poetry and meaningful prose. But I think others border on scripture-writers.
In the end, the most poignant modern scripture being composed today is written in people's lives. There's an old zen story that goes something like this -
"Publishing the Sutras
Tetsugen, a devotee of Zen in Japan, decided to publish the sutras, which at that time were available only in Chinese. The books were to be printed with wood blocks in an edition of seven thousand copies, a tremendous undertaking.
Tetsugen began by traveling and collecting donations for this purpose. A few sympathizers would give him a hundred pieces of gold, but most of the time he received only small coins. He thanked each donor with equal gratitude. After ten years Tetsugen had enough money to begin his task.
It happened that at that time the Uji River overflowed. Famine followed. Tetsugen took the funds he had collected for the books and spent them to save others from starvation. Then he began again his work of collecting.
Several years afterwards an epidemic spread over the country. Tetsugen again gave away what he had collected, to help his people.
For a third time he started his work, and after twenty years his wish was fulfilled. The printing blocks which produced the first edition of sutras can be seen today in the Obaku monastery in Kyoto.
The Japanese tell their children that Tetsugen made three sets of sutras, and that the first two invisible sets surpass even the last.
Anyway, as a critic I think its of vital importance that you live what you write. Joseph's first mistake may have been getting almost everything wrong in the Book of Mormon concerning polygamy, the Godhead, etc., and then having to undercut the moral teachings of his book to live after his desires.