Photographer's dilemma

Since I have taken photography more seriously and started to learn new skills, I've struggled with this dilemma:

Does post processing destroy the ethos of photography?

Digital post processing can certainly encourage a lazy approach to photography with the power of camera RAW. Certain features of someone’s face are permanent; part of who they are but often airbrushed away. Equally, photographs you wouldn't look twice at in their original format are often transformed by post processing.

Some photographers regard post processing as photographic heresy... I've not made my mind up yet but I find it hard to rule post processing out completely when it can come to the rescue of an image like this:

Before - the bright, overexposed sky has been 'blown out' due to the darker tones across the majority of the image After - the wonders of post processing (thank you Dave for teaching me what that strange little wand tool is all about...!) But what do you think?