Here's where I'm confused. Yes, no one TECHNICALLY owns them. We are talking about what you should and shouldn't do and what's respectful. If most people in a minority are uncomfortable with something (Blackface is like the most obvious example here), it needs to stop because it's causing more harm than good. The thing with "appropriation" to me is is it taking a culture that's smaller/less privileged than yours and making fun of it or causing harm to it because you can? I agree with you about most things that get called cultural appropration of Hindusim, but to be fair, many people disagree with both of us on that. (A lot of people think wearing bindis are cultural appropriation.)

That's sort of why I don't like organized religion either, by the way...it causes more harm than good. I'm also an atheist, fyi, but I think religion is different from culture. And it's religious culture specifically that I'm worried about here.