'Lord of the Rings' Actor Has a Tough Message for Atheist Bill Maher: ‘Cripplingly Intellectually Abusive’

Actor Sean Astin believes that comedian Bill Maher is a "cripplingly intellectually abusive atheist" who does a disservice to thoughtful people with his "excessive need to promote atheism."

Actor Sean Astin Announces The 2nd Season Premiere Of Vox Populi Radio at the Federal Building on April 15, 2014 in Westwood, California. (John M. Heller/Getty Images)

Astin, who has starred in timeless films like "The Goonies," "Rudy" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, made these claims when he dropped by TheBlaze's New York City newsroom last week to chat about his new movie "Moms' Night Out," Christianity and his decades-long entertainment career.

"I would love to talk to Bill Maher about his atheism ... because I think he does a disservice," the actor said, before turning to the camera to directly address Maher. "Bill, I think you do a disservice to intellectuals with your excessive need to promote atheism."

Astin then chucked and wondered aloud whether his comments would land him an appearance on "Real Time With Bill Maher," the comedian's HBO show (according to the Interactive Movie Database, Astin was on the program back in 2004).

While the actor clearly disagrees with Maher's tactics and believes he does a disservice to secularists, he did defend the entertainer's right to free speech.

"People are certainly free to promote what they think and feel and I certainly think a lot of what Bill Maher says makes a lot of sense," Astin continued. "But to kind of dismiss a feeling that millions of people are having is not not very generous of spirit."

Watch the actor's comments below:

TheBlaze will publish the full interview with Astin later this week.