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Martin Luther King Jr. uses figurative language strategically throughout his letter to promote equality. How does the following instance help accomplish his purpose of challenging the church leaders to take action against racial injustice?

In those days the Church was not merely a thermometer (strictly tells the temperature) that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat (changes the temperature) that transformed the mores of society.

Respond in three to five complete sentences.

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mathmate
The metaphor he chose is remarkable, because it is true that at one time the church had an immense influence on the well being of the population by preaching the right, and righting the wrong, very much like a thermostat, which regulates air temperatures by supplying a feedback.  A thermometer measures shows temperature, but takes no action.  Martin Luther King Jr. used this metaphor to hint that the church should not be simply sitting around watching (like a thermometer), but should take action to correct injustice (like a thermostat).
King states that the church did not just tell the scripture but instead changed it. They changed the way the said it and more importantly changed how people viewed it. What King means by this is that the church was changing their ideology to their own agenda.