Source: huffingtonpost.com

The world has seen a surge of religious violence in recent years — from the recent attacks on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo to the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting in 2012 that killed six worshippers.

But can the perpetrators of these crimes really claim to be acting in the name of God? Rev. Jim Wallis, president and founder of Sojourners, doesn’t think so.

Jim Wallis

“It must break God’s heart,” Wallis told HuffPost Live during a conversation at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “These terrorists are really blasphemers, I would say, theologically. They are blaspheming God.”

Wallis emphasized the need for people to pause and listen quietly for discernment. This kind of religious life will lead believers to understand that every single human life is precious.

Violence is always the result of a longing for money and power, the minister said.

“Religion can critique [violence] or become part of it and give ammunition to it,” Wallis said. “When religious joins it and gives it a religious name, that’s an offense against God.”

Watch Rev. Jim Wallis’ talk about the dangers of religious terrorism in the video above, and click here for his full HuffPost Live conversation.