“Sergeant York” and 'The African Queen'... Similarities? Influences?

John Huston worked as a writer here. Ten years later he did “The African Queen”. There are some obvious similarities between two movies.

a) They start with a sequence of a church mass.
b) They’re heavy with religious substance.
c) They’re both set during WWI.
d) Main male characters in both movies act out of... let’s say, illogical motives (York’s been hit with a lightning and converted; Allnut’s just out of the blue lets Rose use his precious boat).

Was it John Huston’s touch in “Sergeant York”, or Howard Hawks’s influence in “The African Queen”?

I’d rather think that it was Huston’s mark, but here I read a rather opposite statement:

Religion is seen as part of the fantasy world, a dangerous fantasy that his characters must overcome if they are not to be destroyed or absorbed by it. This theme is present in The Bible, Wise Blood, and Night of the Iguana. Huston's negative religious attitude is also strong in A Walk with Love and Death
(http://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Ha-Ji/Huston-John.html)

What do you think about it? Was it just a coincidence that movies shared a bit, or what?

(Crossposted to "The African Queen" board.)