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Being a secular humanist is less complicated because I don't have to spend time studying the bible to understand the moral framework of Christianity.
Why only these two choices? Sikhism also has a great tradition of charity and humanism. >

Sikhism isn't too big from where I am located. I thought about Buddhism for a bit, but I ultimately decided on becoming a secular humanist. >

Fair, but why is becoming a Christian in the mix? It sounds like you've made a decision.
I would argue that you're still free to take inspiration from Christianity, but then it sounds like you're interested in the world (hence your research into Buddhism and Sikhism), so why is it necessary to pick a religion? I'm sure Christians would welcome you either way if your intention is to help people, no? >

It is, but Christians based their morality on a higher being. I been to bible study sessions before, and I had to interpret archaic messages and scriptures, to which I found to be a very difficult endeavor. 
It might just be a "me" problem since I was never adept at literary analysis. 
The secular humanist's moral framework seems to be very straightforward: do good acts for self-fulfillment, not to appease a higher power. >

A question I would ask is who is defining "good acts"? Christianity has a basis for moral objectivity. Regardless, you are free to choose. >

You can do everything a Christian does without being a Christian if you don’t want to.
Being a good person isn’t exclusive to being religious. Heck many religious people are very questionable.
The difference is like you said, a belief in a higher power or a belief in humanity and striving to be a good, kind person. >

That's a good point. I just don't understand why so many people chose to become Christians when they can be a secular humanist. >

Uh what? Because they believe in Christ, my dude. The very definition. You seem to be more hung up on labels than most religious people I know. Be atheist if you want and do good. It’s as simple as that. 
They’re not becoming Christians JUST to help the poor. The many umbrella religions come with so much extra baggage. I’m not Christian myself, doesn’t mean you need to be so ignorant (and judgemental). >

Yeah, it's weird that they require a middle man telling them to be good or they'll be punished.
You can just be good for goods sake. >

You define secular humanism as doing good in the world, but whose definition of good? 
Whatever values you believe are encapsulated in secular humanism are also in a sense, religious beliefs. You have beliefs about what is good and important which can’t be proven scientifically or rationally deduced. If you believe all people deserve respect and dignity, I’m glad. But what is this based on? Without God it’s just your culture/ personal preference. As a Christian, I think if more people believe in secular humanism the world will be a better place. We can agree on some shared values. But without God as a basis, I see it as ultimately make believe. 
A lot of smart historians and philosophers and sociologists have argued that secular humanism is in many ways the legacy of a Christian worldview. There is a reason that Western culture produced secular humanism. It didn’t come out of a vacuum. I’ll just name two books by people who are not Christians, who have written about this, so you know I’m being objective. Dominion by Tom Holland and A Brief History of Thought by Luc Ferry. Also look up an article, “How Oxford and Peter Singer Drove Me From Atheism to Jesus,” by a Cambridge trained historian who became a Christian in her late 20s after realizing that her commitment to human rights was baseless without a belief in God. 
This is not the only reason I am Christian but that is my answer to your question. I think there are many other logical reasons. 
It ultimately came down to deciding that the Gospels were reliable accounts of Jesus’ life and that his resurrection was the most logical explanation for what happened in subsequent history. It’s not necessarily for the perks, it’s a matter of viewing it as true whether I like it or not. But there are pros to being a Christian, as opposed to a humanist, in my opinion. First and foremost, a real relationship with God and engagement with the purpose for which you were created, practically there are benefits in terms of mental health, community, etc.  
The Bible can also become more accessible. There are a lot of good resources out there to help a novice understand more. Maybe check out a book called “The Story of Reality” by Greg Koukl. >

"But without God as a basis, I see it as ultimately make believe" 
Irony isn't lost on you I see. 
So many flaws in your logic through the whole thing. >

The ironic thing is people believing in secular humanism for no objective reason and not admitting to themselves that this is a religious position. 
If there really is a God, then that would provide an ultimate basis for reality, and it would be logical to believe in that God, and a person would naturally derive many benefits from aligning themselves with that reality. 
It’s possible I’m deluded and wrong about God, but if I’m not, nothing that follows in my proposition is inherently illogical. >

Does identifying as one or the other have any substinative effect on your day to day life? >

I honestly feel like many of my "Christian" acquaintances get baptized to join in on the trend. When pressed on their reasoning for their baptism or becoming a Christian, they aren't able to articulate the why. >

That didn't answer my question... >

Oh, sorry for going off on a different tangent. No, it doesn't have any substantial effect on my day-to-day life. >

Then it would seem that identifying as one is no better than identifying as the other. Which makes sense because it's what we actually do that matters, not what we label ourselves. >


humanism is pretty much the philosophy of doing good in the world without appealing to a higher power.

How do you get to this definition? That is not the common definition from what I know, it really just means that we do not have to use 'God' as the answer for questions. The usual way of thinking ---'Why should we follow moral rules?' 'God' --- is abandoned.
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The bible is far too complicated for me to analyze, which steered me away from Christianity.

Are you saying that humanism is a 'better choice' because it is less complicated then? Id definitely see lots of humanists frowning upon what youre saying here...