More dangerous.

Feelings of sexual lust towards children may or may not be kept in check by awareness of the law, but they are definitely be kept in check by having empathy for the children themselves. Loving children means caring about their feelings. It means cheering them up when they're sad, holding them when they're frightened, lauging with them when they're happy, and being a good, patient listener. Somebody who loves children and does all those things for them bonds with children, and that makes it very hard for someone to feel okay about engaging in risky behaviors with them! Someone like that would know that his needs and desires are not as important as the child's need to be loved in the way that maks her happy.

Someone who doesn't love children, but only lusts after them, would have no real consideration for the child's feelings. I'm referring specifically to a poster who apparently got chased away from here today, because of comments he made to the effect that he was only interested in having sexual encounters with little girls and wasn't interested in any deeper relationship with them. I'm also referring to anyone, in general, who has similar sentiments. Someone like that sees children only as objects of sexual desire, and cannot see them as the human individuals that they are, with their own unique personalities, needs, and wishes. Someone like that has no interest in girls, but only in sex. I would definitely consider that kind of person a danger to children. To a person like that, little girls can only be a means to an end. I would not trust that kind of man with a child.

Enigma
I love children.