I don't get the fuss about Sam Harris' use of the word "atheist"

I see a lot of criticism when Sam Harris is referred to as an "atheist" but I don't get the fuss. His lack of belief in God is based on a lack of empirical evidence along with the fact that the God described in the Bible is not a real entity and the claims made by the Bible regarding God are 100% false. Sure, if you talk to him about God you'll be able to see he has extreme distaste for the concept as he makes clear in the debate with Jordan Peterson and his distaste for religion is clear. However, I don't get how anyone would say that he is extreme in his lack of belief. That's as ridiculous as someone saying he is extreme in not believing in magical unicorns because he has a strong negative view of the concept of magical unicorns.<br><br>When I see people say how Sam Harris isn't extreme in his lack of belief, I think that Sam Harris' views on religion should be given a closer look along with the concept of religion - which is dogma followed by faith. Harris views on religion are neither positive nor negative, it is extreme negative. His experience, knowledge and understanding all show that religions are a net negative to society and are evil. I also view religions as such (negative, evil and harmful). My point is that the word "atheist" is used as a perjorative in an attempt to equate atheism with religion.