Mary as Partner in Salvation

Here is a comment I posted on Mormon Coffee about a comment on the post Joseph Smith as a Passport into God’s Presence

falcon said:

"This concept of Joseph Smith punching the ticket to heaven would be right up there with something as absurd as Catholics teaching that Mary the mother of Jesus having to give the OK to get into heaven…….which they don’t teach BTW"

Actually, one of the messages to come out of the miracles at Fatima and Lourdes is that Mary is a partner in salvation.  In a French publication that I picked up as an LDS missionary in France the statement is made:

"Elle (Marie) est aussi la co-rédemptrice, la co-salvatrice."

Mary is considered the co-redeemer and co-savior by those who revere these apparitions.

I was researching this because while teaching the First Vision I was often challenged whether other "visions" in history--such as Fatima and Lourdes--were authentic.  As a young and ignorant missionary (most of us were dumb and not necessarily deceptive), I could only say that it depended on what was revealed in the event.  If it conflicted with scripture, then it was not of God.  Only now, do I see the irony as it relates to Joseph Smith.