The End is Near. Or is it?

Where were you when the 'Culture Wars' ended?  Oh, that's right.  They aren't over.  Having said that, they might be close to a cease-fire.  

I happen to be of the mindset that politics based on identity, be it religious, racial, ideological, or otherwise, is bad politics.  I also agree with our new President that those things that bind us, as Americans, are frankly greater than those things that work to tear us asunder.  I believe that the key to ending, or at the very least mitigating the culture wars, is for each of us to identify those issues that trigger our impulse to vilify our opposition, and then find a way to compromise on those issues.  I am not advocating that we should compromise our principles, but rather I am advocating that on the issues we find most divisive, that we seek common ground.

My question to you, then, gentle reader is this: what are you willing to compromise, if anything?

And since I wouldn't dream of asking you to do something I wouldn't myself do, here is my answer:

I have always felt strongly that 'faith' has no place in politics.  During the Bush II Presidency my feeling was reinforced by the President's consistent disingenuousness about his own faith, and the role it played in his governance.  I cringed when he described the (so-called) 'War on Terror' as a 'Holy War.'  When he claimed that many of his decisions were taken as a result of prayer, I wondered: who is answering this man when he prays?  Maybe he should stop taking the advice.  It's not really working out.

I am willing to allow that real faith, the guiding principles of religion, and the moral guidance offered by sincere religious leaders can have a positive influence on the decision making of politicians who, due to the nature of their positions, tend to make decisions out of self-interest rather than for the public good.  

Did I really just write that?  Yes.  I am willing to compromise the position that religion can only be a dividing issue in politics.  I am not willing to throw out the disestablishmentarian principles that are core to my political senses, but I am willing to allow that a person's faith can guide them to be a better leader.  I am willing to allow that the moral certitude afforded by deeply held faith can allow a leader to withstand the temptations inherent in power positions.

So, where are you willing to give?  Are you willing to give anything?  Is the goal of ending the 'Culture Wars' and moving forward into a post-identity political landscape even worth the effort?  I think it better be.