 Nevertheless , as Taoist beliefs include teachings based on various sources , and are often intermingled with Chinese folk religious practice , popular Taoist religious sects have co @-@ opted mythical figures from Chinese folklore as well as actual Taoist personages as figures of worship , with the latter better understood as analogous to " saints " in Catholic veneration rather than as divine deities in and of themselves , even though they were also often mythologised to possess superhuman or supernatural powers . Different branches of Taoism often have differing beliefs , especially concerning deities and the proper composition of the pantheon . Nevertheless , there are certain core beliefs that nearly all the sects share . Traditional conceptions of Tao should not be confused with the Western concepts of theism , however . Being one with the Tao does not necessarily indicate a union with an eternal spirit in , for example , the Hindu sense . 
