In the context of a conversation about cultural appropriation, I was trying to convey to another person how offensive it can be to see one’s cultural traditions turned into a performance by someone from another background. The specific example under discussion involved a university course on Comparative Religions, in which students were encouraged to demonstrate a religious ritual from a tradition other than their own. I felt that this was potentially very offensive. In an attempt to convey my point, I said to the other person (who is, I know, a practicing Catholic), “How would you feel I dressed up as a Priest and performed a communion ceremony?” He insisted that this would not bother him, which surprised me.
I am not myself Christian, let alone Catholic (in fact I am a traditionally observant Jew), so I do not have a frame of reference for evaluating whether this would be offensive, and if so, how much. So I thought I would come here for advice. Would this be regarded as blasphemy, mockery, as something completely innocuous, or something else?