The Tao, God, or Goddess - What is the Difference?

What is the difference between the Tao, God, or the Goddess? 

The Tao

The Tao is everything. The Tao is all form and formlessness. The Tao is all thought and absence of thought. It includes all desires and the absence of desires. The Tao is all action and inaction. The Tao is everywhere; it is all here and all there. The Tao is the named and the unnamed. It is the beginning and the end. It is positive and negative as well as the divine and undivine. The Tao is all.

God

One can perceive or learn about the Tao by focusing on different aspects of the Tao. For example, some will give form and traits to the Tao and call it God. A person will often assign characteristics and traits based on what they know – a human figure that is male. Often this conceptualization of a divine male figure will include personality traits of a father figure and be called Heavenly Father. The figure may also be given additional male qualities such as being a protector and provider. Most will view this concept of God with fondness, and love, but others may also see this figure as having domineering qualities, such as being chauvinistic, judgmental, or requiring proof of their adoration. In other words, positive as well as negative human behaviors are often bestowed and shrouded upon this conceptual God. 

Goddess

Others may conceptualize the Tao into the Goddess, a divine female form, or the concept of nature, or perhaps the planet earth. Often the feminine qualities are given to the Goddess, such as beauty, kindness, and gentleness. At other times, the traits of a temptress or a manipulator are attached to the concept of the Goddess as well. 

God & Goddess are Subsets of the Tao

The concepts of a God or Goddess are essentially representations or subsets of the Tao. They are microcosms of the Tao. They provide a way to conceptualize and understand ourselves. They provide a way for us to visualize the maleness and femaleness of the Tao and understand the energies, behaviors, emotions, the interactions, and all the positives and negatives of who we are. It is a way to help us become more aware and interpret how we relate to everything.