What is religion in this modern world?

Religion is simply a philosophy which is designed to guide us through life. If one follows an enlightened and progressive philosophy, then one will end up as an enlightened and progressive person. In other words, the way we are taught from the beginning is the way we will be conditioned to lead our lives. No one is born intolerant, but the doctrine one follows will condition one's attitude accordingly. It is as simple as that.
Is there a need to run away from social responsibilities?
Guru Nanak Dev ji, the founder of the Sikh faith was curious from his young age to find out about the meaning of life. He was puzzled to see disparity in society and could not understand the differences in status of people based on caste, creed and color. He also could not understand why people left their families to endure extreme hardships for long periods of time in jungles and mountains in search of God. Why they had to divorce themselves from their normal family lives in order to search for God. If God was the creator of us, then surely He must reside within us and surely His children must all be equal.
Is God the monopoly of one religion?
In order to discover the true meaning of life, Guru Nanak traveled the length and breadth of India and beyond. He even went as far as Mecca, the birthplace of Islam in search of the truth. He traveled to seek people of knowledge, where ever he could and to listen to their views in a bid to widen his perspective about other faiths. During his travels, he met many holy and wise men which led him to the conclusion that no one could have the monopoly on truth. What so ever was fundamental and right, must be the language of God and should be adopted without hesitation to realize the benefits.
The more he learnt, the more he became convinced that knowledge was not limited to any particular faith or person.
Universality by Action
So he brought teachings of Saints and Holy men from every corner to compile the most appropriate and relevant book on truth, Guru Granth Sahib Ji. It includes the teachings of Hindu and Muslim Saints including ordinary learned men regardless of their caste or social status. http://www.sikhs.org/granth2.htm The result, Sikh holy book has become the most modern and progressive book on the philosophy of life. It enables the followers to lead fuller lives, thereby making them the most progressive and prosperous and above all assets to society.
The Sikh faith discourages superstition and rituals. Obsession with God would make us focus far too much on our creator and lesser on our worldly duties and responsibilities towards His creations like the family, work and helping others in society. So, Sikhism advocates a practical lifestyle whereas one is in touch with God, but at the same time fulfils one’s responsibilities in life.
Gender Equality
Our Founder advocated equality of gender over 500 years ago. Guru Nanak Dev Ji said,” Why call women inferior when they were the ones who give birth to prophets and kings” Those who keep women backward will become backward themselves simply because; we are judged by the company we keep. If we keep the company of a backward and uneducated person, then we too will become the same ourselves.
Conversions
Our Gurus were against religious conversion. They said that God does not believe in labels for people. Instead, God was more interested in the deeds of the individual. A life of high morals and ideals was better than that of those engaged in excessive prayers. It was a prerequisite of a good religion to teach its followers to become tolerant, progressive and prosperous to benefit society.
Respect all faiths
Any religion which divides mankind with its teachings cannot serve the mankind as a whole. The role of every religion must be to unite mankind. When we respect other faiths, we in fact show respect to our own faith which teaches us to respect other faiths. Sikh Gurudwaras have four doors to signify that people of all faiths from all directions are equally welcome to pray. Sikh teachings advocate hard work and sharing with the less fortunate. Sikhs believe in the universal brotherhood and respect diversity. The very fact there are so many religions and colours in the world could only be the will of God.
Interfaith dialogue
People are now talking about interfaith dialogue and understanding. Sikh Gurus gave us Guru Granth Sahib Ji over 300 hundred years ago based on interfaith. Sikh Gurus were ahead of their time and could foretell which way mankind was heading. Sikh Gurus can rightly be called the prophets with a clear vision for peaceful coexistence in the world. Their teachings have become more relevant today than before in this ever shrinking world. Today we live and work with people of different faiths and have become interdependent to lead a normal life. We have no choice in which religion we were born in to, but we do have a choice how we treat each other. People will treat us the way we treat them. 
If we fail to respect other faiths, then we will undoubtedly be in permanent conflict with them rather than benefiting from their strengths and support.
The message of Sikh Gurus was simple – Universal Brotherhood – where everyone would live as one happy family. They gave us the blueprint for our world where there would be love, compassion and respect for each other. Their message has become more important than ever before when we see conflict all around us. Therefore, we must work towards global peace, happiness and harmony. Only then we will feel safe and secure in our homes, streets and cities. Our Gurus gave us message to unite to fight against the greatest challenge facing mankind today namely disease and hunger.
Finally, we have a stark choice, either we live in harmony or consume ourselves in hatred in the name of religion.