- Catholics make up 20-25% of the US population, but 45-50% of the US military.
Where is the actual proof of this assertion? Some RadTradCat blog? Did you check to see if what the guys was saying was true, before repeating it here on FR?
I see a lot of that of of stuff on these pages. Hint: Patheos blog will post all sorts of less than substantiated "stuff".
Since the Gov web pages are shut down (for no real reason, existing web page access can be supplied with bare bones personnel involvement) I can only get some second hand data through a CNN page, Raw Data: Religious preference in the military which cites "Source: U.S. Department of Defense"
Though this info is four years old, I seriously doubt much has changed as per spread of percentages, unless there are less atheists and agnostics. But this conversation has been made on FR before. Big "Catholic" claim, evidence refutes it, but some loose ends may linger, going who knows which direction.
As far as I can tell, from the data supplied above, it works out to a little more than 20% active duty personnel, right about the same as population figures, or a bit less?
Look at the totals in the far right columns. The look at the total in the lower right corner.
Of 1,407,580 something like 286757 were "Catholic" and "Catholic churches". I didn't add in Eastern Orthodox and Orthodox, but their numbers together were only about 1,540, with Moravians adding 111.
Even grabbing those extra, still get's one nowhere near 45-50% US military personnel, unless one wants to pretend there are oodles and gobs of them in the Coast Guard --- which would rather diminish the "Catholics are bad-ass" fantasy.
If you have better data, from a good source -- bring it. OR, agree that you were [probably] repeating an untruth -- though not necessarily doing so with full knowledge that facts don't back your statement.
Unlike some of your brethren do when in dispute with "protestants" here, I'm not going to call you a liar, for having less than factual information. But also unlike some of your brethren that do so --- I'm not here refuting you merely by argument of assertion, with nothing to back it up but my own say-so, or some special interpretation of a mish-mash of info.
These are numbers we are dealing with. Tough to spin them. Please, don't even try. If I see them being twisted, then there will be no patience, and little to no mercy...