Discerning means distinguishing something.
Before entering fully into the definition of the term discern, we are going to know its etymological origin. In this case, we can establish that it is a word that derives from Latin, exactly from the verb “discernere”, which can be translated as “to distinguish” and that is the result of the sum of two delimited components:
-The prefix “dis-”, which is used to indicate “divergence”.
-The verb “cernere”, which is synonymous with “distinguish”.
What is discernment?
The verb discern refers to distinguishing or noticing something . To achieve this distinction, it is necessary to discover or determine those qualities that differentiate the element in question.
Therefore, among the synonyms of the verb in question there are also understand, appreciate, comprehend, judge or appreciate. On the contrary, regarding antonyms we have to highlight some such as ignore, confuse or even confuse.
For example: “Sometimes it is difficult to discern divine will, but you must never lose faith,” “You are grown up now, you should discern between what is right and what is wrong,” “The teacher taught us to discern situations .” risk and explained to us how to act in an emergency.”
Many times it is important to discern to avoid mistakes.
Application of personal criteria
Generally, the action of discerning is linked to making a moral judgment or assessment . Discernment, in this sense, is the criterion that an individual has to differentiate between various elements, analyzing what their effects are and how they interact with each other.
An honest person who is aware of his actions, therefore, is able to discern between good actions and bad actions. Suppose a man drives to a party in his car. Upon arriving at the place, the host invites you to drink alcohol. The subject knows that he will have to drive to return home and that, if he drinks alcohol, his reflexes will be affected and therefore he could cause an accident. In short, the individual would have to discern that accepting the drink poses a potential danger to him or her and to third parties.
The idea of discernment can also be applied to recognizing the appropriate time to do or not do something. A young man who is fired from his job goes to visit his father and finds that his father is not feeling well and has high blood pressure. The boy, faced with this scenario, discerns that it is not logical to tell him the bad news at that moment since it could increase his father's discomfort.
Discern in religion
Within the religious sphere, the term in question is also used. Specifically, it talks about discerning the body of Christ. This expression is usually used to indicate that one is not baptized.
This meaning is taken from the moment when the apostle Saint Paul, when giving instructions on how to administer the Lord's Supper, determined that before drinking the wine or eating the bread the body of Christ must be discerned.
However, within this area, there is also the theory that this expression refers to something else. Specifically, to make a mistake with the Church, to not understand that this is a holy entity and not an association or a simple club. Those who support this theory defend that the body of Christ is the Church and that any attack against it is also against Jesus Christ.