What causes the difference?

     In reading the Politics of Piety, I was intrigued by the idea that the incorporation of religion into public education could actually serve as an effective means by which religion was transmitted. And for that matter, that the mass publication of religious text could actually have an effect of continuity on a population as a whole for a particular religious movement. When we compare this to the trend seen here in the United States, we see a stark contrast. For example, religion is not even permitted to be an integral part of the public education system. And although religiously affiliated schools do exist, their use is not widespread, nor does it ensure a movement of genuine faith. In addition, when we look at the nature of religious texts today and compare that to the old and new texts that were readily available to ordinary citizens, we again see a distinct difference in the effect of these texts. In the Islamic faith, these texts appear to have a positive effect in uniting a group of citizens towards a particular religion. However, in the market economy of today in America, although there are hundreds of books that are readily available to the general public, these books range drastically on their goal or religious affiliation and therefore do not have a unifying effect. So what exactly is it that causes the difference?