Appropriate

Merriam-Webster

transitive verb definition number three
to take or make use of without authority or right
natural habitats that have been appropriated for human use

Dictionary.com

verb (used with an object) definitions three and four
to take without permission or consent; seize; expropriate:
He appropriated the trust funds for himself.

to steal, especially to commit petty theft.

MORE LATER

Later is now. I seldom write something without finishing it here. I don't mind so much if it's in a composition book, but here, for some reason, it's different. I have an ersatz audience. And lately the verb 'appropriate' has been gnawing at me.
I have participated in rituals from other places and cultures. I belong to a witch and pagan network even though I am neither. I do not have a path and I do not seek followers. So why do I go? They have rituals (and potluck) that are usually good. They are events and celebrations that have and bring meaning to life. So where does this ire of mine come from.
I belong to a U-U church and the minister (who was once married to a ''reform' rabbi) puts on holidays that are Hebrew celebrations. I went to one and I felt extremely uncomfortable. As is often the custom over time (and with reform-inspired theology), new context was added to the service (generally a marginalized female subjugated victim). This was not the original theme of the story. The story was changed to fit the whim of the hostess.
I was raised with the old Hebrew stories. And while it might be considered a good deed to invite a non-Hebrew to the table and to tell/share the story, it is not considered honorable to take the story and the ritual and the order and make it one of your own. It is a ritual for a People by a People and of a People. It's not for export.
I had a chance to talk to the U-U minister's ex-husband (the reform rabbi) who once told me of his 'take' on appropriation. I think it was about a time when a Caucasian was caught wearing a djellaba which is a kind

of loose cloak with a hood, worn by men especially in North Africa and the Middle East. The person was criticized for appropriating clothing worn by a People. I laughed at the notion since clothing (unless it is ceremonial or uniform) is international. I then asked him about a building I had been to in New York City that designed by a German architect in "Moorish-Islamic Revival" style. Said building was a synagogue for central and eastern European Jews. Appropriation? He didn't seem to think so.
The wiccans and pagans that I know don't seem to worry where you go with what you learn along the way (as long as you do no harm). Some paths are divergent. I argue that my Hebrew roots limit my willingness to explore the male and female deities. For me, there is only one. I did study mythology and think of the stories as nothing more than what it is; the stories of polytheists during the age of antiquity.