Okay, it's time for me to reveal my face down cards. I am of the catastrophist school of thought in regard to the solar system. I've been doing some in depth reading lately in the writings of a group of interdisciplinary thinkers who are working in (1) comparative mythology studies, (2) plasma physics (which is the study of electrical action in space) and (3) arcaeo-astronomy (which is the study of the astronomical understanding of the ancients based on the record they have left behind). Here's the website if you're interested:
http://www.kronia.com/thoth.html
On the reliability of human witnesses, you will find this to be an interesting link:
http://www.kronia.com/thoth/ThotII06.txt