在中晚明戏曲小说中，出现了许多离经叛道的佛道人物。不只是僧尼道姑有了情欲上的反叛，佛门道观也因其功能上的多样性，有了融入俗众日常生活的可能，为情事的发生提供了便利性。宗教与戏曲小说虽然性质不同，但是宗教题材成为中晚明文学的一大类别。在中晚明宗教题材的戏曲小说中，反映的佛道意象不一定符合宗教的应有之义，而是体现着世俗的精神，戏曲小说中的佛道意象对宗教观念有所扭转。 中晚明戏曲小说中宗教人物出现离经叛道的时代特色，其背后的原因主要有三点：一是社会现实和宗教人物的边缘性地位，让文人敢于在作品中揭露“另类”宗教人物；二是由于儒道佛三家思想理论的交融和修行方式的“简约化”，中晚明宗教信仰呈现世俗化趋势；三是文人以情反理，让肯定人的自然情欲成为挑战社会权力的突破口。但是，通过与同时代西方文学的对比，可见其反抗的不彻底性。 在明代中晚期的戏曲小说中，肯定人的自然情欲具有反抗礼教的思想解放意义。但对人欲的肯定容易矫枉过正，走向纵欲享乐的极端。因此，笔者将“情”细分为情感和情欲两个层面，认为通过情感对情欲进行规范和升华，使“情”上升为一个内涵丰富的审美范畴，成为中晚明进步文人的一种补偏救弊的手段。同时，这也表达了逐渐壮大的市民阶层的审美理想，使“情”成为一种值得歌颂和赞扬的人性美。

In Chinese operas and novels of the late Ming dynasty, there are many deviant Buddhist and Taoist images. It is not only the monks and nuns who have sexual rebelliousness, but also because of the diversity of the temple functions, which creates the possibility for temples entering into public life, providing convenience for love affairs. In terms of nature, religion is different from operas and novels, but religious themes become a non-negligible category of literature in the late Ming dynasty. The religious images may not conform to the proper meaning of religion, but embodies the secular spirits. The religious images has reversed religious ideas in operas and novels of the late Ming dynasty. There are three main reasons behind the era characteristics of the late Ming dynasty: Firstly, it is because of the marginal position of religious figures, so that the literati dare to reveal the behaviors of not conforming to religious doctrines in their works. Secondly, due to the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism as well as the "simplification" of the mode of practice, religious beliefs in this period have showed the secular trend. Thirdly, literati use “affection” to revolt the ethics at that time, making the natural human desire become a breach of social power. However, by contrast with contemporary western literature, it can be seen that its resistance is incomplete. In the late Ming dynasty, the natural human desire has the meaning of thought liberation. But it is easy to overcompensate for human desire and go to the carnalism. Therefore, the author divides “affection” into two aspects: emotion and desire, which can be sublimated by emotion. As a result, "affection" rise to a rich aesthetic object, becoming a means to rectify carnalism. Meanwhile, it also expresses the aesthetic ideal of the growing citizen class, making “affection” become a kind of beauty of humanity, which is worth to be appreciated.