tankian has stated that he has "the same religion as that tree over there. it's a mix of native american, buddhist and transcendental ideas. i like to think of earth as mother. i like to think of sky as grandfather. god has been used for ulterior motives." in another interview, he has said: "i believe very firmly that indigenous populations had a really good, intuitive understanding of why we're here. and we're trying to gain that same understanding through psychology and intellect in modern civilization."