Yes, she inspires me...and that's coming from someone that otherwise hates pop music, dance music, techno music, and all that other crap.
It's really easy to look at the surface of her music or her videos and say "oh, she's just putting on a mask" or "it's just a shock factor"
I follow her on twitter, facebook, and every other thing she's on, I've watched and continue to watch every Gagavision video, and I've gotten to really know my Mother Monster. I've watched her cry for the sole reason that she fears she's letting her fans down. To see her at the Monster Ball is amazing, you really see how much she cares for her fans. How much she went through to put on that show multiple nights in a row. How engaging she is with them (there is a reason her concerts have been rated some of the greatest ever).
It's not "church baiting" though i can see how you could come to that conclusion when you don't actually listen to the song or try and understand it. She's taking a representation that many people recognize and using it as way of portraying a story. It's a common thing in not only music, but literature, art, tv, movies, really anything. It's not an attack on the church, it's the church getting their poor little panties in a bunch because God forbid anyone use their beliefs in any way other than complete and utter devotion. Also, the video was NOT released over the Easter holiday, it's being released this week. Nor does the timing of a stupid holiday matter at all if you ask me, especially considering the Pagans could easily bash the Catholics for just happening to put their precious holiday right around the same time as their Easter festivals. POT, MEET KETTLE.
Will history remember Lady Gaga? Probably, for a while, just like it remembers Madonna, Cher, and others (personally, I don't like either of them). Eventually, just like everyone, she'll be forgotten.
Anyone who is inspired by her will consider her an idol. Just like anyone who is inspired by John Legend will consider him an idol. It doesn't matter who inspires you, as long as you're inspired. And as long as Lady Gaga inspires people, even if others don't like her or don't care for her or aren't inspired by her, she's worth sticking around. At the end of the day, what do her personal motives matter? Who cares if she's just trying to get rich (which, she already is by the way, there's really no need for her to continue if that's all she wanted)? It doesn't matter because at the end of the day...
...SHE MAKES PEOPLE'S LIVES BETTER
And that is enough for her to be an inspiration for me.