Are there any religious overtones in "The Outcasts of Poker Flat"?

The theme of redemption is an important one in "The Outcasts of Poker Flat." It's notable that it's the most disreputable characters who go above and beyond the call of duty in sacrificing themselves for the good of others. For example, Mother Shipton, a prostitute, sacrifices her life for Piney by giving the young lady her rations. Mother Shipton isn't what we might call a conventional Christian; in that, she is by no means an outlier in this wild, unruly mining town. For as John Oakhurst makes clear

There was a Sabbath lull in the air which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous.

This is a community which pays only lip-service to Christian teaching. That's not to say that the town has no religious life whatsoever—it isn't some kind of haven for atheists. But the townsfolk are breathtaking in their hypocrisy. They banish the so-called fallen women, The Duchess and Mother Shipton, for their alleged immorality. Yet neither The Duchess nor Mother Shipton would be able to ply their trade without a steady supply of paying customers. The women are indeed sinners, along with the rest of the outcasts, but the difference is that they find redemption before they expire in the snow-bound cabin.
Christ himself was an outcast and befriended all manner of other outcasts, including prostitutes. He was also judged and condemned by Caiaphas and the other high priests. Here as elsewhere in the story, the religious symbolism may seem obvious, but it's no less effective for that.