Why there is no significant difference between the distributions of births by dates of orthodox Christians and of non-orthodox

Abstract

Statistical studies of Orthodox Christian believers reveal that their birth dates show almost the same probability of their being conceived during religious fasting periods as in the case of non-Orthodox people.  In the article, the author explains this apparent contradiction. Using the available statistics on the age and gender distribution of devout Orthodox parishioners, the author determines the approximate percentage of devout Orthodox families at reproductive age in the whole population, and makes estimations of the dynamics of this rate for the last 30 years. The conclusion of the article is that the vast majority of Orthodox Christian believers today were not raised Orthodox, hence did not inherit its traditions. The tradition of religious fasting in Russia was at first repressed by the persecution of religion in the USSR, and then within the space of a single generation experienced a tremendous growth that continues today. These are the main reasons that the birthdates of current Orthodox Christian believers do not necessarily indicate dates of conception different from those of religious fasting periods.