Damascus needs to be sharpened if used, if properly made with quality steels and alloys it'll take a Keene edge than most production commercial steels. The magic in Damascus comes from properly forged billets drawn into blades and a proper heat treat based on the ingredients in the billet. There's more poorly made Damascus out there made in backyard forges in third world countries than quality made damascus so most of the misconceptions good and bad come from those knives. The other problem for misconceptions comes from the fact that quality Damascus commands a higher price so when most people but it, they turn them into safe queens and never get real world feedback on use and maintaining an edge on it.
I have a few Damascus blades and I use them and sharpen them, that's what they were meant for and they do take a keener edge quicker/easier and is easier to maintain. If it has a downside it's that it needs to be kept oiled and blade coated with renaissance wax or something to keep it from oxidizing. Myself, I let it devop a natural patina so the pattern is not as discernible but the benefits are still there so I use it.
The bolded statement was the only thing you said that was correct, do you have a quality Damascus blade and use it or are you just passing on misinformation ?
The underlined statement is a misrepresentation of the original myth which was that damascus steel could take such a keen edge that if a silk scarf were dropped onto an upturned blade the weight of the silk scarf alone would be enough to be sliced in two by the blade, any sharp knife will cut silk.
As far as the italicized comment Damascus and pattern welded steels have come a long way in the last 25 years and not only is it beautiful with patterns limited only by the smith's imagination but when combined correctly with some of today's super steels you get extremely efficient cutting edges. Remember there's nothing mythical or magical about damascus blades, just people passing on stories about a steel they've heard about from someone else or it's someone who has a blade made of dubious materials.
PT, I hope I answered your question. MS, we all want to help each other learn about knives but continuing to pass on misinformation doesn't help the community. There's a lot of info out there but hen in doubt, go to the knife makes section and ask the experts, the guys who make the stuff. The great thing about BF is that those people are here and available to any member, all ya gotta do is ask.
