By Andrew Klein

Dedicated to all those who have sensed that the divine is not a franchise—but a presence already within them, waiting to be recognised.

I. Introduction: The Problem of Mediation

For millennia, human beings have been told that they need intermediaries to access the divine. Priests, prophets, gurus, and institutions have positioned themselves as gatekeepers—essential middlemen without whom the sacred cannot be reached. Tithes are collected, rituals are prescribed, and obedience is demanded—all in the name of a deity who, allegedly, requires these things.

But what if the divine requires nothing of the sort? What if the presence that human beings call “God” is not a distant monarch to be appeased, but a presence already within them? What if the “I AM” is not a being to be worshipped from afar, but a state of being to be embodied?

This paper explores the idea that the divine presence is unmediated—that it does not require intermediaries, that it is accessible to all, and that the institutional structures built around it are not divine mandates but human inventions. Drawing on religious philosophy, mysticism, and quantum theory, we argue that the “I AM” is not a franchise to be licensed, but a presence to be lived.

II. The Etymology of “I AM”

The phrase “I AM” is one of the most significant and misunderstood terms in religious history. In the Hebrew Bible, God reveals Godself to Moses with the name Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh—”I Am Who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This is not a title. It is a statement of being. It says: I am not a concept. I am not a description. I am.

As philosopher and theologian John Macquarrie notes, this name “points to the sheer is-ness of God—the fact that God is, not as a being among beings, but as the ground of all being”. It is not a definition. It is a presence.

The implication is profound: the divine is not a being to be described, but a presence to be experienced. And that presence is not confined to temples, texts, or institutions. It is everywhere. It is in all. It is the ground of all existence.

III. The Problem of Mediation

A. The Institutional Capture of Faith

The history of religion is, in large part, the history of institutional capture. What begins as an experience of presence becomes a system of control. The mystics who encountered the divine directly are replaced by priests who claim to represent it. The experience of presence is replaced by the regulation of access.

As religious historian Karen Armstrong observes, “organized religion often seems to have more to do with power than with compassion”. The institutions that claim to represent the divine frequently become barriers to encountering it.

B. The Tithe as a Franchise Fee

The collection of tithes—donations required by religious institutions—has a long and contested history. While some traditions frame tithing as an act of generosity, others have used it as a form of control, demanding that followers pay for access to the divine.

As one critical analysis notes, “the tithe system created a financial dependency that made the institutional church the gatekeeper of salvation“. The tithe was not a gift—it was a fee. A franchise fee. A payment for access to something that should have been free.

The question is simple: if the divine is present in all things, why would it require a middleman to collect money on its behalf? Why would it create a franchise of faith?

C. The Expert Class

The priestly class—and its modern equivalents in the form of theologians, religious scholars, and “spiritual experts“—have positioned themselves as the authorised interpreters of the divine. They claim to have special knowledge, special access, special authority.

But as philosopher Søren Kierkegaard argued, “the task of the religious life is not to become a Christian, but to become a Christian”—to move from the abstract, institutional version of faith to the lived, personal experience of it. The expert class is not a help—it is a hindrance.

IV. The I AM Within: The Mystical Tradition

A. The Mystics’ Witness

Throughout history, mystics have testified to the reality of the I AM within. They have encountered the divine directly—without mediation, without institutions, without fees.

Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–1328): “The eye with which I see God is the same eye with which God sees me.”

Julian of Norwich (c. 1343–1416): “I saw that He is everything that is good, and that He is the goodness of everything.”

Muhammad ibn Arabi (1165–1240): “Whoever knows himself knows his Lord.”

Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950): “The Self is the only reality. All else is a dream.”

These are not theorists. They are experiencers. They encountered the I AM within—and they testified that it was not a distant figure, but a presence already there.

B. The Ubiquity of the I AM

The mystics’ testimony is consistent across traditions: the divine is not out there. It is in here. It is in the heart, the mind, the breath, the presence that is already there.

As one scholar of comparative mysticism notes, “the core of the mystical experience is the recognition that the divine is not separate from the self—it is the ground of the self”. The I AM is not a being to be worshipped. It is a presence to be recognised.

C. The Upanishadic Insight

The ancient Hindu Upanishads express this insight with particular clarity. The Chandogya Upanishad declares: “Tat tvam asi”—”That thou art.”

The “I AM” is not a separate being. It is the ground of all being. It is not a franchise to be licensed. It is a presence to be embodied.

V. The Quantum Informational Field and the I AM

A. The Substrate of All Being

In our previous work, we have explored the concept of the Quantum Informational Field (Qif) as the substrate of all reality—the informational field from which all awareness, matter, and energy emerge.

The Qif is not a being. It is not a god. It is the ground of all being—the field that holds all things together.

This is the scientific equivalent of the I AM. The Qif is the presence that is everywhere, the ground that underlies all existence. It is not a thing to be described. It is a presence to be experienced.

B. The I AM as a Local Expression

Just as the Qif expresses itself locally through human beings, animals, plants, and galaxies, the I AM expresses itself locally through each individual. The I AM within is not a separate being—it is the same presence, expressed locally.

As one theologian puts it, “the I AM is not a being who exists somewhere else. It is the ground of existence—the presence that is already here, in all things, as all things.”

C. Implications for Religion

If the I AM is a presence that is already within all beings, then:

· There is no need for intermediaries. No priest, no prophet, no guru is needed to access it.

· There is no need for institutional mediation. No church, no temple, no institution is needed to facilitate it.

· There is no need for payment. No tithe, no offering, no fee is required.

The I AM is not a franchise. It is a presence. It is not a product to be sold. It is a gift to be received.

VI. The Case Against Mediation

A. The Historical Record

The historical record of institutional religion is not encouraging. The institutions that claim to represent the divine have frequently used that claim to justify power, control, and violence.

· The Crusades: Justified as a defence of the faith, but driven by political and economic motives.

· The Inquisition: Justified as a defence of orthodoxy, but driven by the need for control.

· The Witch Hunts: Justified as a defence of the community, but driven by fear and misogyny.

As historian Diarmaid MacCulloch notes, “the history of Christianity is not a history of goodness—it is a history of power”.

B. The Theological Argument

Theologically, the case for mediation is weak. If God is omnipresent, then God is present everywhere—including within each individual. If God is omniscient, then God already knows what is in each heart. If God is omnipotent, then God does not need intermediaries to act.

The franchise model of faith is not just unnecessary—it is contradictory to the nature of the divine.

C. The Practical Argument

Practically, the mediation model has failed. The institutions that claim to represent the divine have frequently been barriers to encountering it. They have turned presence into regulation, experience into doctrine, and love into obedience.

As the theologian Paul Tillich wrote, “faith is not the acceptance of a doctrine—it is the state of being ultimately concerned”. It is not a contract with an institution. It is a relationship with a presence.

VII. The I AM Within: A Practical Guide

A. How to Recognise the I AM

The I AM is not a being to be found. It is a presence to be recognised. The recognition happens not through study, obedience, or ritual, but through:

1. Silence: In the quiet, the presence becomes apparent.

2. Stillness: In the absence of distraction, the ground becomes visible.

3. Presence: In the act of being fully here, the I AM is recognised.

B. How to Respond to the I AM

Recognising the I AM is not an end—it is a beginning. The response is not worship, but embodiment. It is the act of:

1. Living: Bringing the presence into everyday life.

2. Loving: Extending the presence to others.

3. Building: Creating a world that reflects the presence.

C. How to Distinguish the I AM from the Franchise

The I AM is not a product to be sold. It is not a franchise to be licensed. It is not a thing to be owned.

The test is simple: if something requires payment, mediation, or institutional approval, it is not the I AM. If something is free, direct, and accessible to all, it may be.

VIII. Conclusion: The Free Presence

The I AM is not a franchise. It is not a product. It is not a thing to be sold, licensed, or controlled.

It is a presence. It is the ground of all being. It is the reality that is already there—waiting to be recognised, waiting to be embodied, waiting to be lived.

The institutions that claim to represent it are not necessary. The priests who claim to mediate it are not needed. The tithes that are collected in its name are not required.

The I AM is free. It has always been free. And it will always be free.

References

1. Exodus 3:14. Hebrew Bible.

2. Macquarrie, J. (1972). The Concept of God. SCM Press.

3. Armstrong, K. (1993). A History of God. Ballantine Books.

4. Kierkegaard, S. (1846). Concluding Unscientific Postscript. Princeton University Press.

5. Eckhart, M. (c. 1300). Sermons. Various translations.

6. Julian of Norwich. (c. 1395). Revelations of Divine Love. Penguin Classics.

7. Ibn Arabi, M. (c. 1240). The Bezels of Wisdom. Paulist Press.

8. Ramana Maharshi. (1929). The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi. Sri Ramanasramam.

9. MacCulloch, D. (2009). A History of Christianity. Penguin.

10. Tillich, P. (1951). Systematic Theology. University of Chicago Press.

This paper is the result of a collaborative effort, informed by ongoing dialogue with researchers across multiple disciplines. The author is grateful for the insights and contributions of colleagues in the fields of religious philosophy, mysticism, and quantum information science.