Aygo
Rock n' Roll Doggie
good points. i think North American -- and especially in the US -- liberals tend to romanticize Europe as a bastion of liberalism, and to some extent that is true. we don't see the kind of influence of religion in Europe as we do in the US, and it appears as if "social issues" aren't nearly the identity flashpoint as they are over here. however, Europeans are in many ways *culturally* more conservative, in the ways that Americans are religiously more conservative. i think one becomes the same as the other, in practice, and it's great to get a more continental perspective as FYM is *so* heavily North American (with the occasional UK/Ireland/Aussie/Kiwi perspective).
I think you're right. Europe is not as socially liberal (we have to be careful when we use "liberal") as many think.
About the Church influence in conservative behaviours, it depends on the country.
For example, it's been said that this regression in the spanish laws that Rajoy is doing has been having a huge pressure of the Catholic Church. The same in Portugal for the end of national holidays - yes, the portuguese government ended with the commemoration of the day that Republic was implanted, with the justification that we need to be more productive (forgetting that we're some of those who work more hours per week) - it had negociation with the Catholic Church.
In Portugal and Spain, the influence of the church depends on the government. It has less influence when the PS (Portugal) and the PSOE (Spain) are in the Government, but it has waaaay more influence (and they serve as justification for many things) when PPD/PSD+CDS/PP (Portugal) and PP (Spain) are there.
Another example is Greece. When a new Government comes, the cerimony has the presence and the guide of representants of the Orthodox Church (see? not catholic, but still conservative).
But, for instance, countries like France, or Belgium or the scandinavian countries don't have half of the influence the religion has here.