Siblings Age and Religious Practice

I have always wondered if there is a correlation between the age of siblings and their practice of religious rituals. This is particularly important in large families where difference of ages between the eldest and youngest sibling can be 20 years. In the normal life cycle, most people start practicing the rituals, as they grow old. The eldest son or daughter is born and raised when the parents are young and not so involved with the religion. By the time the last kid arrives in a large family, the parents are entering the middle age and usually more religious. It is well-documented fact that the home environment has a major impact on the child. Therefore, the younger sibling is more than likely to be more observant of religious rituals. I have tested my hypothesis on different families. The hypothesis seems to work.

The hypothesis can be also applied on the broader population of Pakistan. I have found that the younger persons in Pakistan generally have long beards and can be classified fundamentalist in the contemporary sense of the word. In contrast, persons who are older and were born before the Partition seem to be less religious. Even when they grow old they are still 50 percent Muslims. Like me, they practice the rituals but cheat and lie in their dealings withother human beings. The younger generation is either 100 percent Muslim or are secular Muslims. It would be interesting to know if others share my views on thesubject