Yes, religion is needed for salvation. Salvation is returning back to God. We need to return back to God because we have been separated from Him. We were separated from God through our sins.
The salvation is the salvation of our souls. We should not forget that we are not like other creatures. Man was created to spend time with God. We not just meant to spend time with God, we are the family of God. We were meant to be in a perfect relationship with God. But sin separated us from God.
God could not behold iniquity. God hates sin. Sin comes from Satan. Satan is the enemy of God. He has an ambition to tear apart the relationship between God and the man He created in His image. He deceived us to walk against God's will and to disobey God's commandments. That satanic plan made our souls to be lost. We need salvation now.
Religion is a way of worship. Religion is a way of looking for God. We need God. It is only that many people are in the wrong religion. They seek for God where they can't find Him. They make gods for themselves. That is wrong. The true religion is the one our Lord Jesus Christ established for us.