I think the option to resign (especially during a war) is an important part of the game as it prevents players from endlessly exploiting players who are in a lost position and as it encourages players to declare their wars against the leading player instead of wanting to farm culture from a player who is behind.
I do acknowledge though that the resignation rule sometimes leads to awkward situations and is maybe not the ideal solution. But I prefer the current resignation rule over having no option to resign.
