There are human studies, people that have lived through it. When you get sucked into the Amway thing, as I did long ago, you question your beliefs and the people that they had at their Sunday morning functions. Totally against what I believed in!!! Although, if I wanted to succeed it was recommended "highly" that I go, although not mandatory.............right.

Religious group member are prospects clients and I think there's nothing wrong recruiting them..

I know of several friends in evangelical churches who were sucked into MLMs by fellow church members. In one case, a friend of mine in Northern California had a pastor got virtually his entire congregation (including my friend) in his MLM downstream and made big bucks off them until they rebelled and kicked him out. In a New Frontiers church I used to attend, the ambitious pastor was planning to start his own MLM from scratch and proposed it to some of the congregants. I don't know if he ever got it off the ground.

CarlKolchak (aka "Night Stalker"? Fun TV series, BTW),

I attended an Amway "recruitment" meeting (I fled), and it amazed me how "Tent Revival Evangelical" the meeting was. I was expecting business and got religion (protestant, at that) instead. Maybe that was not reflective on Amway in general, just this particular meeting.

I think people in congregations are sitting ducks if the pastor decides to get active in MLM's. I am sorry your friend was deceived by his corrupt and evil pastor. I hope he didn't lose too much money (I lost $50 to get the Amway "starter" kit. $50 lighter, and $1 Million wiser).