Does it really matter whether or not atheism is a religion?

Is it really important whether or not atheism is a religion? After all religion is just a word. I think the essential part of the argument is the claim that denying god requires faith in the same manner as believing in god. That is actually a dangerous argument as it would grant religions authority they logically don't deserve. That's where the debates should be focusing on. There is a huge logical fallacy. Just because a lot of people say something doesn't mean that denying it takes a huge leap of faith. Denying god requires as much faith as denying any other fictional nonsense. Does it take a leap of faith to say that there is no batman? Does it take a leap of faith to say that we don't really live in the matrix? In fact, if accepting things such as evolution means denying god at the same time, then it takes as much faith as accepting any other scientific fact.