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How does John Irving use the contrast between Owen and John in A Prayer For Owen Meany to portray the necessity of struggles in faith?
Quick answer:
The narrator of the novel, John Wheelwright, describes Owen Meany as a boy with a “wrecked voice” who is the “smallest person I ever knew” and who was the “instrument of my mother’s death.” John also tells us that he believes in God because of Owen and that he is a Christian because of Owen. He doesn't claim to be religious for Christ or for God but for Owen, which may suggest that his faith is more about what he believes about God because of Owen than it is about faith in Christ. John's view is substantiated by the way Irving presents religious symbolism throughout the novel. The questions focus on this particular passage:
Owen Meany plays a strong, formative role for John Wheelhouse in the novel. Owen isn’t a fanatic. He is the portrait of the faithful religious person whose faith is stable despite what happens in life. He can also be seen as a Christ-like figure who sacrifices himself to save others. Like Jesus in the Bible, he knows ahead of time that he will be called on to sacrifice his life for others. Also, like Christ, he vows to be with John and helps him succeed.
The first lines of the book describe John’s faith in Owen:
I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany....
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I make no claims to have a life in Christ, or with Christ—and certainly not for Christ, which I've heard some zealots claim.
Owen was John’s guide and moral compass for much of his life. Though Owen is the unwitting agent of John’s mother’s death, he becomes a faithful friend to John. Owen supports John in his struggles in school and helps him succeed. Owen may seem like a religious fanatic when he says he has seen the date of his death. However, it turns out that Owen is correct, and this helps solidify John’s faith in Owen and in God.
Irving suggests that struggles are a natural part of faith. Owen, much like Christ, seems to understand who he is, what God is, and what he must do to please God. He doesn’t struggle with his faith. This could be seen as fanaticism, but it could also suggest that Owen is a prophet of sorts. John has trouble with religious beliefs, much like Christ’s apostles, while Owen is alive. However, Owen’s death makes faith real to him. His faith is further strengthened by what appear to be visits from Owen in the afterlife. In one case, John nearly falls to his death down a set of secret stairs, but he hears Owen’s voice and is somehow lifted up. It’s as if he is fulfilling a psalm from the Bible, such as,
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
John grieves for Owen, and his struggle with faith is not unusual except for his unwavering belief in Owen as a mystical figure or prophet. It’s not clear whether he believes more in God or Owen. Any kind of religious faith is difficult because there is no proof. But Owen, through his life, death, and later communications with John, has proven God is real. His faith becomes more like Owen’s characterization of the Mary Magdalene statue.
"YOU ABSOLUTELY KNOW SHE'S THERE—EVEN THOUGH YOU CAN'T SEE HER?" he asked me.
"Yes!" I screamed.
"WELL, NOW YOU KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT GOD," said Owen Meany. "I CAN'T SEE HIM—BUT I ABSOLUTELY KNOW HE IS THERE!"
By the end of the book, John knows with absolute faith that God or Owen is there.
Owen's faith is strong and unwavering throughout the novel, while John's frequently shifts and fades. Owen believes that he has a higher purpose in life and that God has revealed to him exactly what that higher purpose is. Owen's struggles are to determine how he will be able to fulfill this purpose, what it means for him, and the ultimate determination to be self-sacrificing in the end. Owen's faith may remain strong because God has shown him a vision, thus solidifying Owen's faith. Conversely, God may have chosen to use Owen because of his strong faith. Either way, Owen's struggles are to continue believing in his higher purpose and to follow the right path.
John's struggles are with faith itself. He wants to feel faith as strong as Owen's but does not feel as sure of his beliefs. Owen's belief in his higher purpose causes John to question his own faith throughout the novel. However, as the novel ends, Owen's ultimate achievement of his higher purpose makes John believe that God has been guiding Owen all along, and the reader expects that he will no longer struggle with his beliefs.
Both Owen and John demonstrate struggles of faith which are relatable and realistic.
You are right to identify the wahy in which the novel focuses on the conflict between doubt and faith. This is of course achieved through the contrasting of the two central characters, John and Owen. Owen is shown to have an absolute and complete faith in God that is never shaken. He also believes that there is purpose in everything that happens. John, by contrast, is a character who has no strong sense of religion, and who encounters religion only through his friendship with Owen. As an adult he joins the Anglican Church, but it is clear that doubt is a part of his relationship with the church that he is never able to fully suppress. Note how he characterises his religious understanding:
Doubt one minute, faith the next--sometimes inspired, sometimes in despair.
He goes on to describe his faith as being a "church rummage faith--the kind that needs patching up every weekend." Clearly his faith cannot be compared to the faith that Owen Meany has. The problem with your question is that Irving does not seem to particularly present Owen Meany as a negative character because of his zealous faith. On the contrary, Owen is a much more attractive character than John, and seems to be a much more positive individual. The story seems to show the way in which extreme faith can actually support and help somebody to achieve what they need to achieve in life. If you were to offer me the choice of being either John or Owen, I would definitely select Owen because of his charisma and faith. John only seems to live a half-life with the problems that he experiences throughout the rest of his life.