By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

Using biblical imagery to elevate oneself to a biblical-character status is not new in presidential politics, but to use these imageries to deliberately mislead people is a new low level in personal ambition.

Barack Obama knows he does not believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation. "For there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved." This is the cornerstone of true Christianity. All other "Jesus believers" who don't embrace this biblical truth are not "true Christians." Neither Obama's former church nor his former pastor for over 20 years embrace this foundational fact. Yet Obama uses Christian lingo, such as "I came to Jesus" or "I committed my life to Jesus" or "I knelt before the Cross," which gives the impression that he is a true believer.

Secondly, "true Christians" know that the task of taking care of the poor is their responsibility, not the government's. The Bible makes it clear that "justice" is the government's task, but "mercy" is God's and His children's. Yet to alleviate the guilt of semi-religious people, Obama detracts the attention of the unsuspecting from his position on killing babies in their mother's womb and the recognition of sodomy as an alternate lifestyle, and centers their focus on the so-called "poor."

Thirdly, his calling himself the Joshua of the "Joshua generation"is the ultimate in the misleading of the uninformed and the biblically illiterate generation. This is to say nothing of desecrating the entire plan of salvation of God's people.

When God delivered His people from the slavery of Egypt, they reached the land that God promised them through the Sinai Desert. God asked Moses to take them out of Egypt and Joshua to bring them into the land. Even a nonreligious person can see the fallacy in Mr. Obama's comparing himself to Joshua the prophet.

I question into what type of Promised Land Mr. Obama is promising to transform America. A welfare utopia state for those unwilling to work?

When Dr. King used the biblical imagery of the Promised Land, he was giving hope to an oppressed group of people who were far from being on a level playing field with the rest of society. But today with so many multi-billionaires who are African-Americans, and of every hue, talk of going to the Promised Land is pure deception.

As an African-born person who is now an American citizen by choice and one who paid for his own education, I am grateful to be an American (before Mr. Obama turns it into a Promised Land). I deplore this false use of biblical imagery. It is a tragedy for those who are blessed to be born an American to talk America down in order to lift up their personal ambitions. In our worst days of economic slow down we are better off than 95 percent of the world's population. To what kind of a "Promised Land" can one go from here?

America is a generous and kindhearted nation because its people are. May God protect it from false messiahs with false promises who may come from either side of the political divide.

May we as a nation hold our government leaders to a higher standard of truth and integrity as we cast our vote this November. It is tragic enough that many people did not vote in the last election. I hope that this November you will not only go out and vote, but will urge all of your family and friends to vote. This may be the most important vote in our lifetime.