God is within! Yes....Jesus said "the kingdom of God is within you" But religion is only part of the problem, religion did not start out w/ a hierarchy where someone "ordained by God" could give you salvation, a power elite developed, and they want nothing more than to come between you and God. The major religions of the world started out as a body of mystical teachings that helped people directly experience God, and outlined some morals/ethics that people needed at the time b/c of their state of consciousness. But human egos got involved and perverted the teachings so that you now had an intermediary/power elite who determined your destiny so that you became putty in their hands!