By Jove, what's true atheism, mate?

You're an atheist if you can say "Nuts!" to religion!

You know how most people keep their real feelings under wraps about how dumb religion is. That's old atheism. You know there's a new campaign by leading atheists who are taking on addicts of religion face-to-face and promoting a higher profile of atheism. That's New Atheism.

Now let me tell you something about the hard-nosed, no-nonsense atheists who insist that veracity is the only measure of the value and worth of religions. That's true atheism.

Of course atheism is atheism whether you describe it as old, new or true. Our differences are about the way we respond to the dinosaurs (theosaurs?) who use twisted logic and diversionary tactics to cling to their primitive superstitions.

Old atheists
Old-style atheists show their contempt with their legs: they don't go to religious propaganda centers, called the "House of God," to listen to fairy tales told by the robed spin doctors who call themselves "man of God". They don't mumble their wishes to statues or thin air, and they don't perform mindless rituals utter nonsensical mantras, or parrot so-called holy books.

Oh yes, many of them certainly like an excuse for fun and celebrations, religious or secular. They also like spirits of the bottled variety sitting on convenience store shelves. But old-style atheists hardly engage in polemics concerning religion and keep a low profile. They don't want to stir up a hornet's nest.

Basic atheism is thus like saying Mickey Mouse, Santa Klaus, Humpty Dumpty and Cinderella do not exist in the real world, and since all religions are based upon imaginary beings concocted by primitive man the average sane and sensible person sees where religions really belong: the trash bin of mythology, legends, fairy tales and cock-and-bull yarns.

The common man sees the gobbledygook mantras, the silly rituals and the indoctrination as a load of laughable primitive superstition. He also sees religions jumping at each other's throats, maligning each other, lying, deceiving and trying to round up the unwary, the naive and the gullible to their side by hook or by crook and treating them like morons or innocent children. And he cries "enough is enough."

New Atheism
Champions of New Atheism do just the opposite: they take the bull by the horns, they call a spade a spade, and they highlight the fact that atheism is a viable and rational alternative to religion's childish and primitive superstitions.

They are highly learned and ever so willing to challenge and debate any matter under the sun. They don't attempt to seek the destruction of religions; they just aim to tame them by showing what a load of godswallop religions are and let the people decide for themselves whether to keep it or dump it. Horsemen? Yes, but more than that. They are the hard-riding, hard fighting samurais!

As the expression goes: Somebody's gotta take out the garbage.

True atheists
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True atheists maintain that real atheism is about reality, facts, truth and reason, and that religions stand or fall on this criterion alone. In other words, what really exists in the real world. 
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Everything else is extraneous and irrelevant. It does not matter whether religion is good or bad for humanity; it does not matter whether the almighty spook is fair and square, or unjust, pitiless, indifferent to human suffering and pleas for help; and it does not matter whether a belief in fairy tales and cock-and-bull yarns is necessary in order to have a way of life and inculcate morality in us wicked people.

TRUE ATHEISTS INSIST UPON THE PRINCIPLE OF REALITY-FIRST-AND-LAST.

Man, in spite of his tendency towards mendacity, has a great respect for what he calls the truth. Truth is his staff in his voyage through life; commonplace are the  bread in his bag and the wine in his jug. -- Remy de Gourmont (1858–1915), French critic, novelist.

True atheism is negation of falsehoods
True atheists point out that atheism is not just about trashing the childish and primitive idea of a god or gods. Atheism is much more than that simplistic notion!

God is only a spook among the thousands of spooks, or imaginary beings, concocted by mankind since the dawn of humanity. God just happens to be the spook plucked from thin air and appointed by man to be the grand-daddy of all spooks. In so far as religions are the most prominent and accepted kinds of superstition worldwide, one can say in short that atheists are anti-religion.

The feisty Charles Bradlaugh had aptly described atheism thus: We negate falsehoods and affirm the truth. Thus we get the widest definition of true atheism:
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Atheism in its widest sense is about the rejection of all kinds of falsehoods, especially supernaturalism which is a superstition and the foundation of all religions. 
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As can be seen from above, true atheism is the rubbishing of ALL falsehoods and irrationality, ALL crazy and unscientific beliefs and behavior -- religious or secular -- and not just God, gods, gurus and religion. Thus, FALSEHOODS > SUPERSTITIONS > RELIGION.

They regard science as the final arbiter of what constitutes reality, facts and truth -- or illusions for that matter. They, however, do not worship science or insist that scientific statements are the gospel truth.

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Faith without facts availeth nothing.
-- Joseph William Mellor (1869-1938) chemist

Religion is a fact-free worldview and a way of life. (Me)

Atheism is not an option. Atheism is a fact of life, atheism is in your face, atheism is self-evident, and atheism is unavoidable. (Me)

Atheism is a truth serum which doesn't require a six-inch needle to administer. (Me)

Atheists religiously avoid all kinds of falsehoods, including superstitions such as religion. (Me)

Besides war and politics, truth is also the first casualty in religions. (Me)