No matter whether temple festivals are sensational, their activities innovative, or how much folk custom and culture they preserve, the ultimate test is whether or not they preserve their religious substance. "If religious activities do not lift people's spirits but just provide entertainment, in the long run they will only have a negative influence," says Chu Hai-yuan.
然而，無論廟會多堂皇，活動內容多創新，保存了多少民俗、文化，廟會是否保存宗教本質，仍是最終的檢測，「如果宗教活動不能提昇人的精神，只純供娛樂消遣，長遠來看，只有負面影響」，中研院民族所研究員瞿海源表示。