@Stacy24,
Myself I am male, Caucasian and European. So I pretty much won life's lottery. Indeed I am wealthy, highly educated and have a beautiful, wonderful and amazing Dr wife .. we have two adult children, who are also both doctors. We have no faith in anything but ourselves and our own abilities.
The internet is an extremely difficult medium through which to interact; It is without intonation, postings are read with people's own outlook in almost all cases. This is because it would appear that few people possess a decent, workable, adult level of 'Theory of mind'.
Allow me to assure you that this post is not misogynistic, not anti you .... not anti anything. To be 'anti' means I would have to care ... I simply do not care as I literally do not have the wiring for it.
Belief in anything is a creation of the individual and their experiences; beliefs are obviously not 'real', they are not physically demonstrable. They make people act in certain ways but that is a re-action leading from their belief, not the belief itself.
Belief in something which is supposedly greater than themselves appears to be an natural innate requirement for the masses. Be it religion, be it political persuasion, be it patriotism, even some sports team.
It would appear you believe in Jesus Christ. In truth that is a learnt behaviour as you know, learnt from your father .... But in fact, as fact, if your father had taught, persuaded and drilled you from a young age that the Great Space Gnome Toby looked after your life and soul ... Right now you'd be worshipping Toby with just as much passion and faith.
The point is that in reality neither God, Jesus, Toby, organised or disorganised religion makes anything happen in your life - You do. But your belief in the 'greater being' holds you back, as with so many, indeed like the majority
Because you believe that Jesus Christ makes your life better; In reality you make your life better by what you do and how you act. However you also wait for Jesus to make your life
even better ... when only you can do that in reality
Those people who are deemed successful in this life, in all terms, are those who know that life is not in the control of outsides agencies in whatever form .... it is about personal choice and making things happen for oneself.
For many that would mean in spite of themselves and their previously learnt behaviours.