The difference between the acknowledgement of religion and the endorsement of religion is very important in every society, and both of them are practiced throughout the world.
The acknowledgement of religion by the government means that the government is allowing the religion to function in its institutions and has nothing against it or tries to restrict it. The religion is not part of the government and has no political power and say in the functioning of the country. This is the case in most of the countries were the Christianity and Buddhism are the dominant religions among the population.
The endorsement of the religion by the government means that the religion is active and very influential in the political sphere and has big say in the functioning of the country and its population. This is the case in most of the countries were Islam is the dominant religion practiced by the population.