Welcome! To answer your question, I'm a believer. I believe in God and Jesus. I can also agree that most of the major life principles are common to all religions. I've never been a JW so some may say I just maintained what I've known my whole life and to be sure, I was always aware of the Christian basics. But when it's in your heart, it's something altogether different and that was only within the last few years. I can't explain it more than something just clicks.
No, being a believer does not mean checking your brain at the door and the fact that people absolve personal responsibility or action in the name of religion is just silly. I'm always reminded of the parable of the servants given a certain amount of talents. What God has given us, we should use to its fullest potential, not sit idly by and literally bury our talent til the day he returns. That's the exact opposite of what God would have us do. Believing is not about having all the answers or thinking "I've arrived". I know I don't and I know I haven't. It doesn't mean a plastic smile or that you're always happy. Pain and loss are very real parts of life. It doesn't mean disrespecting or thinking less of people because they think differently; we all have our paths to take. It's surrender, and in doing that, the wisdom of the Bible clicks for me more and more. I'm more conscious of how I interact with people; it's not about judging others as much as it's about being the best person I can be in Christ. I guess that's the long answer
p.s. it may not be a popular sentiment (then again, neither is being a believer on this site lol), but I feel no need to shy away from the OT completely. Part of the difficulty is the huge cultural divide; we just don't get it nor do we have to in the modern world. I used to avoid the OT as well, thinking God was scary and mean. But what He really is is sovereign. He can do as He pleases. God is loving, but He can also be angry and brokenhearted. As humans, we aren't one-dimensional. We have a full range of emotions; why would we expect less of God? When after all, we were created in His image. There are also tremendous acts of mercy and justice in the Old Testament and it wasn't just limited to Israel. And in the final act, we won't be judged for what happened to us but for what we did. That's my take on it.