The nature of nature is a matter of science. The meaning and use of nature is a matter of religion. Religion cannot tell science what nature is. Science cannot tell religion what nature means. The limit of technology is set by the nature of nature.
Ecology is the nature of nature considered as an entire system.
Ecology is a bad vehicle for religious motives to express themselves. The term 'religion' is used here in the academinc sense of Tillich, Geertz, Bellah, and others to mean the comprehensive meaning system of a culture and as such includes disciplines such as philosophy, theology, economics, politics, and sociology among others. Note carefully that this approach to religion is neither conventional nor well understood by most Americans.