Don’t believe these people. Don’t even believe me. Buddhism is all about figuring out things for yourself. As the Buddha himself said, “be a light unto yourself.” The only kind of Buddhism worth considering is profoundly anti-dogmatic.
It is not a religion, though there are plenty of people who mistakenly treat it like one. A philosophy is closer to the truth, but there is also an almost scientific aspect to it that makes it distinct. Buddhism has been called the science of first-person subjectivity, in that it is all about understanding what is subjectively true, mainly through meditative practices.
You absolutely can be both. As I see it there is no conflict at all. Everything you do in Buddhism is for the purpose of perceiving reality more clearly, and being a better human being. If you believe in a god who created this reality, why wouldn’t you want to do that anyway? There is no other god to worship here. No rituals to perform. You don’t have to believe in rebirth or any of the more metaphysical and mystical ideas (I certainly don’t). And anyway merely accepting those things as true would be a profoundly anti-Buddhist in spirit. Only believe what you can verify for yourself.
It sounds like you are fairly new to this. The texts suggested so far will probably seem too dry and esoteric. Try “Why Buddhism is True” by Robert Wright and/or “10% happier” by Dan Harris. If you get more into things I would suggest “Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha” by Daniel Ingram (available free online).
Hmm, I’m not sure what you mean exactly. But don’t let people here make you think Buddhism is about rituals or requires you to develop reverence for anyone/anything.