Mark Elliot Zuckerberg (born May 14, 1984) is an American computer programmer, Internet entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is the chairman, chief executive officer and co-founder of social networking website Facebook. His net worth is estimated to be $50 billion as of December 2016, ranking him the 5th richest person in the world.
Earlier, on Zuckerberg’s profile on Facebook, there was information which identified him as an atheist but he revealed his change of heart on his social media network by wishing everyone on Dec. 25 a “Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah” from “Priscilla, Max, Beast and me”. He referred in this wish to his wife, daughter and dog. Shortly after posting season greetings a commenter asked him, “Aren’t you an atheist?” and he responded: “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 provide details about his faith.
In August, 2016, Zuckerberg met with Pope Francis in order to discuss “how to use communications technology to alleviate poverty, encourage a culture of encounter and to communicate a message of hope, especially to the most disadvantaged,” according to Vatican press office director Greg Burke. Zuckerberg gifted a drone to the religious leader and shared a photo of the exchange on Facebook. He added that he admired the pope and the meeting was unforgettable and posted “You can feel his warmth and kindness, and how deeply he cares about helping people”.
In 2015, he was traveling to China and visited the Wild Goose Pagoda in Xi’an and “offered a prayer for peace and health for the world and for my family,” Zuckerberg posted at the time, including a photo of himself kneeling in front of the Buddhist landmark.
His wife Priscilla is Buddhist and he is impressed with Buddhism, stating that it is an amazing religion and philosophy and hoping to continue understanding the faith more deeply. Maybe Zuckerberg still wanders in search of a religion that fits his beliefs.
Photo Credits: StaticFlickr
