Straw man

A straw man is a logical fallacy in which one side of an issue or debate deliberately misrepresents the position of the other. This misrepresentation is then undermined as if it were the other side's actual position. Someone not paying close attention might then think that the original argument has been successfully countered when in reality nothing of the sort has happened. The name straw man suggests setting up a scarecrow that looks like an opponent's argument, but is easy to knock down and, figuratively speaking, will not put up a fight.

Examples

 * "Atheists say that the Bible isn't true. But archeologists have found many of the cities mentioned in the Bible, so clearly the atheists are wrong."
 * No reasonably informed atheist believes that nothing in the Bible is true. Also, even if a book contains some historically true elements, that does not prove that every single thing in the book is also true. For example, many works of historical fiction contain viable facts.
 * "Abortion advocates want to kill babies. This is monstrous and must be stopped."
 * The debate over abortion is largely centered on the distinction between a "baby" and a "fetus," and claiming that advocates "want to kill babies" is a leap to attribute a position to the opposition that they do not believe. In addition, the vast majority of pro-choice advocates would like for there to be fewer abortions, but recognize that sometimes they are preferable to the alternative of unwanted children.
 * "Evolution is wrong. No one has ever seen a dog give birth to a cat."
 * Evolution does not say that one species suddenly gives birth to a completely different species.