Sociologist Lorne Dawson has criticized Kent's work for his use of ex-member testimony. In response to Dawsons and other critics who have issues with ex-member testimony, Kent argues that former member accounts provide outsider insights not available to members who misattribute divine authority to leaders in high demand religious groups Additionally, the methodological considerations raised by Dawson do not end at ex-member testimony, given that much of his critique was "prepared at the request of the Church of Scientology" as part of his employment as an expert witness. Relying on member testimony raises the important issue of how researchers' sympathies influence their work. As part of their response to a general call for a critical sociology of religion, Thomas J. Josephsohn and Rhys H. Williams argue that sociology of religion's focus on the beneficial aspects of religion has tended to ignore "some significant and darker aspects of religion such as violence, terrorism, prejudice, and social closure".