It is both theory *and* fact. For example, it is a fact that speciation via Darwin's mechanisms has been observed.
when his book of the same name does not even pretend to show how species originated.
You obviously haven't read it.
I understand a lot about the theory of electronics as I worked in the field for 40 years, but it is still taught as theory. Nobody claims to know for fact how it all works.
Nor does anyone claim to know for a fact how all of evolutionary biology works. Operative word being "all". We do, however, know for a fact how many parts of it work, just as we know for a fact how many facets of the field of electronics behave and interact.
That doesn't stop anyone from using the theorys to make things work.
Ditto for evolutionary theory.
We just don't make it like religeous dogma the way evolution theorists do.
No one treats evolutionary biology as "religious" dogma either, and your repeating this silly claim over and over again doesn't make it any more true. Not even if you stamp your feet and hold your breath until you turn blue.
Here, read this: Creationist Claim CA610: Evolution is a religion.
Also read: God and Evolution , and Is Science a Religion?.
There was an earlier thread where a department head refused to write a letter of recommendation for a student who had good grades in his classes but wouldn't answer the question that he accepted Darwins Theory as "fact".
Without the letter the student wouldn't be accepted in a Graduate School.
My contention is that it is an abuse of his position to demand blind acceptance as Darwin being fact, and not accept that the student understood the theory, and that is what he was studying --- the theory.
That is when the dogma becomes religion. It is used to coerce others. It has nothing to do with whether Darwin's theory is useful or not, it is pure power play to punish those who don't fully knuckle under to the dogma.