Kerry,
Concerning students talking to other students about their belief for not clapping or bowing. We are a very small dojo and we all discussed it after class. Most of us don't have a problem with it, so it wasn't a big deal. I suppose if this particular student was attempting to start a mass ...

This is my first post on the Uechi Forum, but here's my $.02

It's what you make of it. I think most of us regard bowing mostly as a sign of respect and leave it at that.

I've had people refuse to bow and clap at the end of class. It's worth saying that these people had deep religious reasons ...