Perhaps even more to the point than "religion doesn't require a belief in God" is that belief in and inner knowledge of God not only doesn't require religion, but is aided by its absence.

In other words, an alternative point of departure is what we describe  in Neo-Sabbatian Kabbalah as "God set free of religion," which is a more inner than outer,  individual than collective approach to knowing God directly -- an example of which is found in the difference between the Zohar vs. the Talmud wherein the former points INWARD to personal gnosis while the latter points OUTWARD to religious practice.

Putting all pretense at modesty aside, I discuss these issues in a series of live talks I've given and which can be downloaded at http://www.donmeh-west.com/zohar.shtml