Mark Zuckerberg says he's no longer an atheist, believes 'religion is very important'

Friends with Jesus? Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Facebook. Photo / AP

The founder of Facebook has found religion, it seems, according to a cheery holiday message he posted on the social network he created.

On Christmas Day, Zuckerberg indicated in a Facebook status that he was "celebrating Christmas".

"Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Priscilla, Max, Beast and me," he wrote, naming his wife, daughter and dog. Then a commenter asked him: Aren't you an atheist?

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Priscilla, Max, Beast and me! Seeing the moments of joy and family shared on...

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Sunday, 25 December 2016

Zuckerberg identified himself as an atheist for years, but on Facebook on Christmas he wrote back: "No. I was raised Jewish and then I went through a period where I questioned things, but now I believe religion is very important."

He didn't answer further questions about what he does believe in.

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have publicly discussed their moral values frequently - including in a lengthy letter when their daughter was born a year ago, in which they pledged to donate 99 per cent of their Facebook stock, which at about US$45 billion ($65bn) at the time was one of the largest philanthropic commitments ever.

And they've already met one of the world's most important religious figures: Pope Francis, with whom they discussed bringing communication technology to the world's poor.