清代民間秘密宗教盛行於底層社會，其教內男女信徒經常共同誦經做會，與強調男女嚴防的傳統禮教有別，故不免引發來自各界的疑慮與攻擊。官方指責其行徑為「男女雜處」、「廉恥喪盡」、「風俗之大害」，違背傳統道德倫常，破壞淳美的社會風氣。秘密教派男女教徒共同聚會緣由，係與擴展組織、增加教徒人數、提倡男女平等教義、主張夫妻同修、教徒生活型態較無男女大防觀念有關。事實上，其活動形式雖允許男女教徒共同聚會，但大多數教派仍提出「戒淫」戒律，要求教徒須遵守倫理道德，禁止從事不正常的男女關係。然而，由於教派性質的複雜性，仍不免發生若干違倫常道德的姦情案件，通常係教內男性師傅利用傳授教義、指導修行、進行醫療的機會，誘使教內教徒的妻女或是求醫婦女發生姦情，徒增秘密教派的負面形象。 官方為了杜絕秘密教派的生存，一方面以宣導教化方式，勸導百姓切勿習教，另一方面則採刑罰處治，杜絕教首傳教行為。官方尤其對於秘密教派內部引發的姦情案件採取極為嚴厲的刑罰審理，案情中的男性師傅常被施以「大逆律」重罪處分，其遭受的刑罰包括杖斃、凌遲處死，乃至梟首示眾等，至於女教徒則被杖責、枷號，或是流放邊地為奴，更甚者則亦處以死罪。官方對秘密教派成員的嚴處，即係透過法律制裁手段杜絕其生存空間，以達到維護善良風俗與鞏固政權的目的。

Folk secret religious sects were widely prevalent among the lower strata society in Ch'ng Dynasty. These sects often permitted male and female believers to anticipate religious activities together. Because such behavior was against traditional morality, they were suspected and criticized by the Ch'ing government, intellects, and orthodox religions. The Ch'ing government censured activities of secret sects to violate traditional ethics, and to damage social custom. The reasons male and female believers of the sects anticipated meetings together included organization of enlargement, believers of increase, both sexes equality of promotion, couple cultivation of advocacy, and life pattern believers. In fact, although the sects permitted male and female believers hold meetings together, the sects still warned their believers to avoid sexual obscenity. However, because of complexity of the sects, it was unavoidable to occur some salacious cases. The masters of the sects often utilized the opportunity to teach religious doctrine or to cure disease, and lured the wives and daughters of believers or women seeking to cure to occur sexual promiscuity. These salacious cases added negative image of the sects. In order to restrain the existence of the sects, the Ch'ng government not only counseled people not to anticipate the sects by announcement, but also punished the leaders of the sects by laws. Because the Ch'ng government especially tried salacious cases of the sects by severe laws, the male masters often were sentenced to death, and the female believers were beat, yoked by cangue, or banished frontier to be slaves. In sum, in order to maintain good custom and strengthen political power, the government authorities prohibited the spread of such sects by sanction of laws.