I was reading a "what are you doing for Lent" thread on another message board, and inevitably every year, someone says that they aren't Catholic/Christian, but that they observe Lent by giving something up. Usually the reason is given that they just think it's good to practice self-denial, and it's a good opportunity to do so.
So my question is...when does this kind of thing become offensive, if at all? I mean, many many people in the US who aren't Christian do some kind of Christmas and Easter celebration, leaving out the religion part, and it makes sense to me to want to participate in these sort of "celebration" holidays. But when it comes to deeply spiritual practices like fasting, that seems odd. I mean, I think it would be really cheap of me to fast on Yom Kippur while putting my own personal meaning to it that doesn't have a lot to do with the actual purpose or meaning that exists for the Jewish people. Or if I said, "gee, I think I need a body cleanse, I'm going to observe Ramadan this year."
Any thoughts?