"At what point will this "belief" be abandoned, and why is it held so dearly? "
It will be abandoned when it can be replaced by a scientifically validated and testable theory that explains the observations and data. ID doesn't do it. Evolution does. It is "held so dearly" in your words because science is needed to explain the natural history of the world. ID cannot replace evolution because it is based on faith and not strictly on observable scientific data.
"there is no mention of religion or theology in the Bible"
You clearly know nothing of the Bible. The Bible is filled with religious content. Christ was crucified because of his threat to the Jewish religion. He spoke of forming a new religion.
Really. When you get a moment could you send me a verse ?
The tension between Genesis and modern science about the origins of the universe and of living species is largely resolved when it is recognized that they are speaking from different perspectives. Genesis is concerned about who created and why, NOT about how and when. Science cannot answer the former questions, and Genesis is largely mute about the latter.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
Long before any science...................For nearly four hundred years, and throughout several revisions of its English form, the King James Bible has been deeply revered among the English-speaking peoples of the world. The precision of translation for which it is historically renowned, and its majesty of style, have enabled that monumental version of the Word of God to become the mainspring of the religion, language, and legal foundation of our civilization.