The Gospel of Thomas was not “forbidden” by a single dramatic decree, but was gradually excluded as early Christianity consolidated authority, doctrine, and institutional power, particularly under what would later become the Roman Catholic Church. Discovered in full in the Nag Hammadi library in 1945, this text is a non-narrative collection of 114 sayings attributed to Yeshua (Jesus). It emphasizes direct knowledge (gnosis), inner awakening, illumination, and individual transformation rather than sacramental mediation, hierarchical priesthood, or salvation controlled through institutional channels. This fundamental difference placed it in direct conflict with a church structure that was increasingly focused on uniform belief, apostolic succession, and centralized authority. As orthodox theology hardened through the formation of creeds, the biblical canon, and councils such as Nicaea and later synods, texts that lacked miracle narratives, crucifixion theology, or resurrection emphasis were labeled heretical. The Gospel of Thomas was especially threatening because it taught that “the Kingdom is within you and outside you,” asserting that divine truth could be realized inwardly without clerical intercession. This posed a direct challenge to a system built on defining doctrine, administering sacraments, and governing belief. A spirituality rooted in awakening, self-knowledge and awareness cannot be easily regulated, taxed, or enforced. For this reason, many churches today still discourage or forbid teaching the Gospel of Thomas, not out of historical ignorance, but because its message destabilizes the power dynamics of organized religion. It shifts authority from the pulpit to the conscience, from external obedience to internal discernment, and from fear-based compliance to awakened understanding. When people discover truth through lived awareness rather than dictated dogma or religious doctrine the mechanisms of control—guilt, dependency, and institutional mediation—lose their grip. In this way, the continued marginalization of the Gospel of Thomas reflects an enduring tension between inner awakening and institutional preservation, where maintaining power takes precedence over inviting people into the transformative freedom of direct spiritual knowing.