Eliot scholars seem to take for granted her religious interest, and little critical work has been written on the subject recently. Yet we must address the critical problem that emerges in her novels: though Eliot was an atheist and religious humanist, her novels use organized religion as a vehicle for her moral teachings. We must approach her novels aware of the divide between her public and private conscience. Investigating her motivations reveals important goals in her fiction and a truer understanding of her personal beliefs and social vision. I will show that Eliot's primary commitment was to the community, and she saw the importance of retaining a Christian identity to foster the nation and guide citizens in their social and moral duty. Eliot saw Christianity as an "imagined community" encouraging cooperation and achievement. Eliot deconstructs Christianity, transferring the label into a secular context in an act of strategic essentialism, considering herself "Christian" despite her unbelief.