>>It's a system of verifiable facts
LOL. Like the world is flat? Like nothing escapes from black holes? (Hawking was wrong on that one!)
Science is a system of facts, postulates, and hypothesis.
There is a difference between proven, verifiable facts and theory.
Evolution at best is a theory, one that is constantly shifting. While the consensus of the scientific community upholds the theory and gives it some credibility, it doesn't mean it's facutual or accurate.
This is not to say the theory is hogwash, or that there are not verifiable facts. However, to say Evolution is proven and verified is a gross misunderstanding of science.
Having said the idea of "intelligent design" has been co-opted by those who wish to rewrite scientific thoery according to scripture.
I believe there is a better case for an "intelligent design" than what is being put out right now. Unfortunatly the "bible alone" crowd has co-opted this phrase and by doing so have discredited an intelligent "intelligent design" theory.
What's the difference in your distinction?
There is a difference between proven, verifiable facts and theory.
This ought to clear up some of the misconceptions you have about the scientific terms.
From an NSF abstract:
“As with all scientific knowledge, a theory can be refined or even replaced by an alternative theory in light of new and compelling evidence. The geocentric theory that the sun revolves around the earth was replaced by the heliocentric theory of the earth's rotation on its axis and revolution around the sun. However, ideas are not referred to as "theories" in science unless they are supported by bodies of evidence that make their subsequent abandonment very unlikely. When a theory is supported by as much evidence as evolution, it is held with a very high degree of confidence.
In science, the word "hypothesis" conveys the tentativeness inherent in the common use of the word "theory.' A hypothesis is a testable statement about the natural world. Through experiment and observation, hypotheses can be supported or rejected. At the earliest level of understanding, hypotheses can be used to construct more complex inferences and explanations. Like "theory," the word "fact" has a different meaning in science than it does in common usage. A scientific fact is an observation that has been confirmed over and over. However, observations are gathered by our senses, which can never be trusted entirely. Observations also can change with better technologies or with better ways of looking at data. For example, it was held as a scientific fact for many years that human cells have 24 pairs of chromosomes, until improved techniques of microscopy revealed that they actually have 23. Ironically, facts in science often are more susceptible to change than theories, which is one reason why the word "fact" is not much used in science.
Finally, "laws" in science are typically descriptions of how the physical world behaves under certain circumstances. For example, the laws of motion describe how objects move when subjected to certain forces. These laws can be very useful in supporting hypotheses and theories, but like all elements of science they can be altered with new information and observations.
Those who oppose the teaching of evolution often say that evolution should be taught as a "theory, not as a fact." This statement confuses the common use of these words with the scientific use. In science, theories do not turn into facts through the accumulation of evidence. Rather, theories are the end points of science. They are understandings that develop from extensive observation, experimentation, and creative reflection. They incorporate a large body of scientific facts, laws, tested hypotheses, and logical inferences. In this sense, evolution is one of the strongest and most useful scientific theories we have."