Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's holiday message status on Dec. 25 suggested that he has returned to religion, after identifying himself as an atheist for years, based on his profile page.

“Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Priscilla, Max, Beast and me,” Zuckerberg’s holiday message posted on his profile read.

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One Facebook user replied and questioned his religious views asking “Aren’t you an atheist?” the Facebook founder responded that he is not, explaining that: “I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important.” 

The Internet entrepreneur, however, did not provide further details about his faith. Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have been publicly discussing their moral values and that included a lengthy letter for their daughter, of which they pledged to donate 99 percent of their Facebook stock.

In August 2015, he and wife Priscilla met Pope Francis in Vatican City. The couple and the Pope discussed the process of bringing communication technology to poorer communities of the world. In addition, Zuckerberg said that he was impressed with the pope’s compassion.

Moreover, Zuckerberg has visited Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi'an during his trip to China in October 2015. He posted a photo of himself kneeling in front of the Buddhist landmark, offering a prayer for peace and health for the world and for his family. Zuckerberg’s wife is a practicing Buddhist and he has taken an interest in Buddhism as well.

TagsMark Zuckerberg, Facebook, Atheist, atheism, Merry Christmas, holidays, Christmas season, Hanukkah