Camp Damascus Quotes

“We haven’t been blessed by some incredible superpower from the great beyond, we’re just curious. Sometimes that’s all it takes.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“That acknowledgement could arrive after several decades, or it could happen tonight, but the time will come. Eventually, I'll have to fully contend with this simple fact: the love I was promised was conditional.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Our relationship wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but it was real. It was misunderstandings and growth and forgiveness and acceptance and, of course, the beauty that comes along with all that. We were so much more than a montage of upbeat music and endless smiles.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“My conscious mind was ignorant to the fact that I’m gay, but even I knew I was autistic.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Slowly disconnecting from your community—from your family—is difficult, and while it seems like unearthing their sinister motives and dark secrets might make the process easier, it will never entirely quell the pain. I’ve been avoiding this dark ache by keeping my mind busy while my body couldn’t be, but it hasn’t gone away. The sadness is still there, lurking in the corner like a pale demon in a red polo, just waiting to finally be acknowledged. That acknowledgment could arrive after several decades, or it could happen tonight, but the time will come. Eventually, I’ll have to fully contend with this simple fact: the love I was promised is conditional.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Rose 15:30. For the righteous sword of truth is so sharp that even half swings will graze a bone of incredible depths.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Rose 7:8. And upon the wicked she shall rain a mighty tempest of fire, smiting those who dared steal away her thoughts, but forgot to quell her vengeance.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Religion is more than just faith—it's faith with a brand.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“It’s almost as if the Bible can be twisted into supporting whatever point of view you want,” I blurt.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“That’s the thing about Kingdom of the Pine,” he finally admits. “The stuff they believed, the messages they pounded into our heads … none of it was that weird. They’re just the thousandth little twist on the exact same book.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Rose 1:1–2. She raised a flaming sword, not to rend her heart, but to seal the wound where a heart had been. For those who cast her out did not know this steadfast flame, alight with righteous anger, would never cease until the heavenly kingdom fell.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Nobody who's graduated the Camp Damascus program is ex-gay, they're just even more tormented than before. They've been frightened and threatened into submission, a tactic that's been used against queer people for centuries.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Rose 11:4. Let there be Rose.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Nobody who’s graduated the Camp Damascus program is ex-gay, they’re just even more tormented than before. They’ve been frightened and threatened into submission, a tactic that’s been used against queer people for centuries.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Rose 2:6. And when the morning came she pushed onward, because the wicked and the vile bore down from every side, and onward was the only direction she had left.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“You are trusting your flesh over God. And for what?”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“It's almost as if the Bible can be twisted into supporting whatever point of view you want”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Maybe memories are all I'll ever have”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“But I'm not back. They don't realize it yet, but I'm a completely different person.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Beware a curious person whose attention has been piqued”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Eventually, I’ll have to fully contend with this simple fact: the love I was promised is conditional.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Most of the partiers are holding red cups, but these plastic goblets are full of root beer, not beer beer, and the safe yet faintly abrasive music is upbeat Christian pop-punk with a positive message. I love it.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Follow the rot,” he gurgles, his voice dropping several octaves. “Flies love rot.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“It’s a matter of addiction,” Dad once told me. “The Lord didn’t design our bodies to run on caffeine, and once it becomes a requirement to find joy, well, you’ve got yourself a problem.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“I can feel a profane eruption bubbling up within me and I push into it, refusing to silence myself. It might seem like a silly thing to care about, but it’s not. This is my voice. “Let’s do something about it,” I proclaim. “Frick Camp Damascus.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“I’m feeling reasonably confident thanks to my social preparation routine—a large notecard of potential discussion topics, interesting facts, and small-talk questions. This card is folded and tucked away in my pocket for quick reference, though I don’t think that’ll be necessary. I spent enough time on this one to recite it from memory. The word “muscle” is derived from a Latin term, meaning “little mouse.” The shortest sentence in the Bible is two words. Do you know what they are? What are your biggest fears?”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“You can pull out any shred of Scripture to convince yourself the ends justify the means, but if God is this brutal, what’s the point of worshipping him in the first place? If the big guy is really signing off on this torture, then I’m not on His team whether He’s real or not.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Through my own current program, I’m eligible to sign up ten other recruiters under what’s called a multi-level model.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“It’s okay to run a church like a business, because if we don’t treat the message of Jesus like a Fortune 500 company, then nonbelievers will certainly do that with messages of their own,”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus

“Slowly disconnecting from your community—from your family—is difficult, and while it seems like unearthing their sinister motives and dark secrets might make the process easier, it will never entirely quell the pain.”
― Chuck Tingle, Camp Damascus